Voice From The Heart Of Children

Brief Introduction:

Education policies like NEP aim to reform and uplift the learning experience, but on the ground, the voices of children tell a different story. While schools rush to implement new models, many children are silently struggling—overburdened, unheard, and emotionally drained. This article brings forth those quiet cries, questioning whether our system is truly serving the child or just showcasing progress.

Here's a voice from the hearts of children—those we see every day, yet rarely hear. It is not a protest against education, but a plea for compassion, understanding, and real reform. As the New Education Policy (NEP) takes shape across schools, this piece urges parents, educators, and policymakers to pause and ask: Are we truly making learning joyful, or just heavier? Behind every “achievement” is a child carrying silent exhaustion. This is their story. Their truth. Their cry for balance.

We Love Learning—But Not Like This

Children are not against education. We are not running away from learning. In fact, we love learning when it's fun, when it's explained well, and when someone believes in us.

But today, something feels different. That smile we had when we learned something new? It’s fading. That excitement to ask questions? It's going quiet. That joy of going to school? It's turning into stress.

We are not saying education is bad. We are saying the way it is being given is too heavy for us.

What’s Happening in Schools

This problem is not new. For years, children have been dealing with tough teachers, unaware parents, and schools that push more and more without listening.

Instead of making learning easier, the system is now adding more things to our plate. Apart from normal subjects, we now have extra activities, projects, competitions, and skill-based tasks. It looks nice on paper, but no one checks if we have the support or the energy to handle all this.

What is NEP really doing to us?

NEP (New Education Policy) was introduced to make learning better, to reduce stress, to bring flexibility and skill-building. But what is actually happening on the ground?

Schools are rushing to show they are “implementing NEP.” They add new subjects, new training programs, new styles of teaching—but without the teachers, without the tools, without the heart.

NEP is supposed to help every child grow, but in reality, it is helping institutions show off.

They showcase a few toppers, a few achievements, a few fancy programs. But what about the rest of us? We are not one or two children who make it to the stage. We are thousands sitting in those classrooms, unheard, unseen, overburdened. Many children don’t even realise how burdened they are. We just keep moving. We don’t know we are breaking down emotionally, until it becomes too much.

And still, good teachers are missing in many schools. Even for basic subjects, we don’t have trained or kind teachers. Forget skill-based subjects, we don't even get proper support for what we already have.

Many teachers behave like they are doing us a favour. Some are too strict, always angry, and never ready to help. They call us names, insult us in front of everyone, and never try to solve our doubts kindly.

And when we struggle, the same teachers say, “You are lazy,” or “You are not trying enough.”

Then parents come home and say, “You should be more serious. Look at others.”

But what about how we feel? What about asking us, “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

We are not weak. We are not disinterested. We are just tired. Mentally. Emotionally. Quietly.

What We Feel

One boy who loved maths now says he hates numbers. A girl who loved drawing now keeps her notebook closed.

Another boy whispered, “I feel like I’m getting old but I'm still a child.”

We don’t have the words to say “I am emotionally tired.” So we say things like “I don't feel like it.”

And what do adults say? “You are lazy. You are not trying.”

But we are trying. Really, we are. We just need support, not scolding.

What Learning Should Be

Learning should make us smile. It should make us think, not fear. It should help us grow, not make us feel small.

Right now, we are always running. Always trying to catch up. Always scared to fail.

This is not how learning should feel.

Please Think With Us

Why are schools making us do so much without asking how we feel? Why are parents not asking if we are okay? Why do we have teachers who punish instead of guide?

Try asking us today: “What do you enjoy about school?” Watch our faces. Listen to our answers. You will know everything.

We laugh when we talk about play, art, or fun things. But when we talk about schoolwork, we go quiet.

Is that normal? Shouldn’t we be happy about school too?

What We Want

We want schools to teach us with love, not fear. We want teachers who are trained, kind, and helpful. We want parents to listen and speak for us when it gets too much. We want NEP to be more than just big words. We want it to care about how we feel, not just how we score.

We want to be seen, not just as marks or ranks, but as people, as human.

Schools should not show off our prizes and ignore our pain. They should not take credit for our success and forget to hold us when we struggle.

NEP or no NEP, please remember: We are children. We are not machines. We are not products. We are not numbers.

We are hearts. We are dreams. We are the future.

Please protect our smiles before they disappear. Please make learning something we love again.

And if the system doesn’t change, then you, our parents and grown-ups, must help us.