Gujarat: Schools told to form ‘balvrund’

AHMEDABAD: The state education department has issued a circular asking schools to create groups of children for team activities. The groups will be called ‘balvrund’. The circular states that all schools will have to divide schoolchildren studying in Classes 3-12 in four groups which will be named after Indian personalities such as Aryabhatta.
These groups will participate in educational and extracurricular activities in which the elder children will act as guides and conduct various activities. Members of these groups will help other students internally and also the students from the groups.
The circular says that these groups will be guided by schoolteachers who will act as mentors of these children. All schools, including government-run, grant-in-aid and private schools will have to create such groups, the circular says.
Each group will be further divided into smaller groups for various activities. Children will be able to elect their own representatives thus learning about the democratic values and processes. These groups will collectively prepare for internal examinations and the bright students will help weaker students in preparations.
These groups will be given responsibilities such as conducting prayer meetings and organizing competitions, the circular says.