Parents in Hyderabad want schools to start at 9 am
Dr Anjul Dayal, a senior paediatrician, believes that it is not a good idea to change the timings.
Hyderabad: Most students are stressed in the mornings, rushing to get to school on time. They usually don’t get enough sleep and don’t have the time to tuck into a healthy breakfast every morning.
Parents in Hyderabad want schools to start at 9 am so that their children can get sufficient rest and have time to eat a healthy meal before stepping out.
Doctors say that this solution will not produce the desired results. If schools start at 9 am, students will sleep until later, and they still won’t have time for breakfast.
Paediatricians say that instead, children should go to sleep by 8 pm, as children abroad do, so that they can wake up early. Schools should also provide a short breakfast break at around 9 am, like foreign schools, so that children can eat at regular intervals.
A parent whose child goes to Little Flower School said, “School starts at 8 am sharp, so children have to start from home by 7.15 am, which means they have to finish breakfast by 6.45 am. This is very difficult, and most kids go to school without breakfast.”
He said children have to manage on an empty stomach until lunch, or they eat junk food in the school canteen. “In the long run, this will affect their health. It will be of great help to children if schools start from 9 am.”
Dr Anjul Dayal, a senior paediatrician, believes that it is not a good idea to change the timings. He said that healthy sleeping and eating habits should be inculcated instead.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Children frequently skip breakfast, which is not a good sign. In the US and in most European countries, schools start very early, but the children go to bed at 8 pm. The schools have breakfast breaks at around 9 am,” Dr Dayal said.
“In India, children waste a lot of time watching TV along with their parents after dinner, which is not healthy. Developing healthy sleep habits among children is the only thing that can bring about a change, rather than shifting school timings. Every school must provide a breakfast break so that children can eat snacks,” he said.
Ms Anjali Razdan, chairperson of the Hyderabad Sahodaya Schools Complex, said, “Most CBSE schools provide a breakfast break at about 10 am. Schools at which breakfast is served may have the break a little earlier, at around 8.30 am. Many parents want schools to start a little later, but traffic regulatory guidelines dictate that schools should start by 8.30 am, because the rush of office-goers begins after that.”
She supported the idea that changing the school schedule will help children as they will get more time to sleep and complete their morning chores. “In reality, schools have always begun early in the morning,” Ms Razdan said.
She said that abroad, a lot of importance is given to early childhood and elementary education, and children are made to follow specific schedules. “In our country due to the large numbers and other priorities, this is not given due importance.”