To keep students away from rote learning and emphasising on the concept of 'Learning Without Burden', the Haryana government has decided to make use of theatre techniques for fostering effective learning in its schools.

Haryana's School Education Department is mulling to introduce role-play technique in learning under which students will stimulate a scenario by assuming specific roles instead of the rote way of learning.

Additional chief secretary, school education, PK Das told The Statesman, that the department plans to empanel some theatre experts preferably from National School of Drama (NSD) or noted universities' Theatre departments who will help the teachers in preparing scripts on lessons that could be staged in classrooms through dramas.

He said that the sole aim of the idea is to make learning more easier and interesting for the students through their acting skills.

"For example, if the first Battle of Panipat is taught in schools, though this technique, the student playing Ibrahim Lodi will ask the opposite child, who are you? He will respond saying, Babur hoon Samarkand se aaya hoon (I am Babur and have come from Samarkand). Ultimately the children will learn the entire history in an interesting way and it will help students to remember these facts for long," Das said.

"So far over 100 teachers have shown interest towards this. Teachers will write scripts and they will be guided by the empanelled theatre experts and after finalising the draft for play, students and teachers would be given training for this," he added.

The official further stated that various schemes are being implemented by the department to ensure learning without burden in its schools. For example, Saturday is being observed as bag-free joyful Saturday in schools in the state and it has received overwhelming response.

The School Education Department in Haryana has identified as many as 446 Joyful activities to make study pertaining to various subjects more interesting and uncomplicated in schools.

Earlier, the department had implemented a pilot scheme in its 50 schools under which students need not to carry bags and their books would be kept in the school.