Hyderabad, Oct 25 (IANS): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that students should spend only one half of their school time in class and the other in playground to learn "lifes crucial lessons".

Speaking at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here, he deplored the practice of cramming facts imposed on students and advised them to never let their marks define or restrict them in any way.

"Heavy school bags with thick books are not what should dictate a child's education... I always believed that only half the school time should be spent in classrooms learning, the other half should be spent in playgrounds and in nature. Some of life's crucial lessons are learnt by the children from playgrounds, such as sportsmanship, empathy and teamwork," Naidu said addressing the students.

"Today's education, unfortunately is all about cramming facts and reproducing them in answer papers with the result that very often the critical thinking faculties, the logical reasoning capacities of the children are not allowed to grow and flourish," he said.

The Vice President also lauded the "multifaceted personality" of K. M. Munshi who founded the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 1938 and was also a member of the constituent assembly which designed India's Constitution.

"He was an accomplished lawyer with a flourishing practice, which he readily gave up to join the cause of freedom for his motherland. Munshi Ji's life is a testament to the fact that a man with pride in the past could also have faith in the future," Naidu said.