This school uses the newspaper for a blackboard

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: Students at Vidya Niketan in Dombivli are turning the pages of newspapers to improve their scores.

When the authorities found that students had their noses buried so firmly in t h e i r b o o k s that they had little time to follow the news, the school introduced an examination paper called Common Knowledge for Stds V to VIII. Children are quizzed on current affairs, ranging from the Dalit killings in Khairlanji to the percentile fiasco that hit junior college admissions this year.

The first common knowledge exam was administered earlier this month, along with the other terminal exam papers. The results were more than a trifle amusing. While one student said that the Indo-US nuclear deal was inked so that India could protect America, another claimed that Chhagan Bhujbal belonged to the BJP, not the NCP. Many were not aware of Khairlanji to begin with, and others confused it with the Delhi Arushi Talwar murder case. Some found it hard to distinguish between the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena. And still others thought that the MNS was a national party.

“We don’t want children to treat textbooks like the Bhagvad Gita. We want them to look beyond their texts so that they’re aware of the world around them,’’ said Vivek Pandit, founder-president of the trust that runs Vidya Ram Niketan. Common Knowledge papers will be marked like any other subject and these marks will be counted in the student’s final tally. “That’s the only way they will take it seriously,’’ said Pandit, who is disturbed by the general lack of awareness in the classroom.

Although balancing the regular load with daily news updates on riots, floods and sports is proving rather tough for students, the new subject has been mostly wellreceived. “I’ve started reading the papers everyday. And I watch a lot of news channels too,’’ said Rahul Marathe, an enthusiastic 13-year-old who feels his general knowledge has benefited. “The questions are really different from the ones generally asked in examinations.’’

Uday Desai, the parent of a Std VIII student, says it is a good initiative on part of the school. “It will force students to keep abreast of current affairs,’’ he says. “This will certainly help them later on in life.’’

anahita.mukherji@timesgroup.com