HYDERABAD: Stressing the need for the children to spend time outdoors, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad that the school curriculum should be reduced by half so that children spend half of their learning time in schools in the playgrounds or on extra-curricular activities. 

Speaking on the importance of playgrounds in Hyderabad, he said that some of life’s crucial lessons like sportsmanship, empathy and teamwork are learnt by children on playgrounds.

He was speaking at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan school in the city where Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Mohammad Mahmood Ali was also present. Naidu said, while it is good to learn the facts and theories from books, it is more important to be able to understand the concepts behind them, to gauge their practical applications.

He also stressed that examination system in schools should be aimed at measuring the child’s capacity to question the things around him.