No more backbenchers: Kerala forms panel to revamp seating in government schools

India Today

a day ago

Backbenchers in Kerala's government schools may soon become a thing of the past, as the state prepares to scrap traditional row-wise seating arrangements, citing their impact on student confidence and learning outcomes.The Kerala Government has decided to appoint a committee of experts to identify a suitable model to eliminate the concept of 'backbenchers' from classrooms. Education Minister V Sivankutty announced the move on Tuesday via a post on Facebook, stating that the backbencher label can negatively affect a student's confidence and academic development.advertisement'The concept of backbenchers has the potential to negatively affect a student's confidence and learning. No child should be left behind in their studies or in life. Our goal is to ensure equal opportunities for all children. We are thinking about how to make this practical,' Sivankutty said.
The Minister further added, 'It's a time when many changes are taking place in the public education sector. The world is changing. There should be changes in the education system with those changes. Our children should also get the opportunity to be a part of that change whether it's academic matters like textbook revision, conducting of exams and non-academic matters.'Building on the need for such reforms, he said, 'As part of this, each student should be able to listen and interact with teachers with the classroom arrangement. There is a situation now in which if the teacher stands in front of the blackboard, they are not able to see the child sitting last. The child sitting in the back suffers many losses due to this.'Highlighting the disparities in classroom setups across the state, he explained the government's plan to address the issue through a standardised, inclusive approach, 'We have decided to change that situation to ensure every child in Kerala gets equal opportunity by making a change in seating arrangement. It's different in each school already. Old schools have one type of arrangement while new schools have another. Whichever type of arrangement it is, we are thinking of rescuing the distance between each student and teacher. The Education Department is thinking about forming a technical committee to study this.''Many countries are following different models to eliminate the concept of backbenchers,' he added, noting that the panel of experts would recommend the best model suitable for Kerala's education system. 'Let us consider the suggestions of this panel and move forward.'The idea of removing the backbencher concept has gained traction in the state, especially after the release of the Malayalam film 'Sthanarthi Sreekuttan'. In the Vinesh Viswanathan-directed film, a school student suggests reforming the traditional seating layout after facing humiliation for being seated at the back of the class.Drawing inspiration from the movie, some schools in Kerala have already adopted a U-shaped seating pattern that allows every student to receive equal attention and visibility.- Ends
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