School isn’t exactly what every kid looks forward to, weekends are. That’s just the way it’s always been – and maybe everyone assumes that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Written by: Sanah Chauhan

The odd part is that my teachers don’t do anything to actually make school at least a little interesting. For instance, every day we have to carry to school a notebook – a notebook! – that is as thick as an encyclopaedia and weighs 3kg (yes, I weighed it). Hardly an incentive, if you ask me.

Schools are now a test of physical strength more than mental capabilities. Why? There are no lockers. I assume that this is all part of the learning process, but would a few lockers hurt anyone? Carrying that load to school every day definitely will.

What makes me look forward to going to school? The joy of carrying a bag that probably weighs twice as much as I do? Not a chance.

I go to an Indian school, and there’s a lot of pressure on parents, teachers and the students too to get us processed through the system. When I hear kids from the ‘O level’ schools talk about their learning environment, I can’t help but wish that the education system was a bit more evenly balanced. The teachers at my school are excellent, and in general so are the methods; we definitely learn, and we’re motivated to do so.

But a few small things – like lockers for the books, and more projects and creative work – would definitely make a big difference to our attitude to school, and probably our attitude to what school is teaching us. I understand the need to provide as many school places as are needed. But maybe the government should fix the existing infrastructure of the Indian schools instead of giving free land to anyone who’s ready to build a new school.

We talk about saving the environment for future generations. There are big things we can do; but there are smaller things too that can be changed today to benefit those who follow. There’s more to ‘quality of life’ than free-flowing water, as much electricity as we want, and a reversal of global warming.

Till then I’m going to have to find a way (or a shopping trolley) to cart my load to and from school every day like the rest of my 35 classmates and pray that someday things will change for the better. That someday we’d just have to carry one laptop and a flash drive for all our subjects. To those who say that my ideas are too farfetched and futuristic, I say the future is now!