The question asks to identify which statement is not a merit (advantage) of an Inter-Disciplinary Approach in social studies. Let's understand what an inter-disciplinary approach means and then evaluate each given option.

Inter-Disciplinary Approach in Social Studies

An Inter-Disciplinary Approach in social studies involves combining concepts, methods, and theories from various disciplines (like history, geography, economics, political science, sociology) to provide a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of a topic or issue. Instead of teaching each subject in isolation, an inter-disciplinary approach aims to show how these different fields connect and interact to explain complex real-world phenomena.

Merits of Inter-Disciplinary Approach

Let's analyze the given options to see which ones are indeed benefits or merits of an Inter-Disciplinary Approach:

• Single teacher can handle the class: When content is integrated across disciplines, a single teacher, especially one trained in social studies as a broad field, can effectively teach a range of interconnected topics. This approach can make classroom management and resource allocation more efficient, as it reduces the need for multiple subject-specific teachers for distinct, isolated periods. This is a practical merit.
• Overlapping of the content be reduced: In traditional disciplinary teaching, different subjects might cover similar concepts or historical periods from their own perspective, leading to redundancy. An inter-disciplinary approach intentionally identifies these overlaps and integrates them, presenting the content in a more streamlined and efficient manner. This helps in reducing repetition and optimizing learning time. This is a significant merit.
• 'School Bag' weight to be reduced: When subjects are integrated, the curriculum can be designed to use fewer, more comprehensive textbooks or learning materials that cover multiple disciplinary perspectives. This directly translates to fewer separate books students need to carry, thereby reducing the physical weight of their school bags. This is a practical and tangible merit.

Inter-Disciplinary Approach and Specialization

Now, let's consider the option: It provides basis for specialization in subject specific.

An Inter-Disciplinary Approach, by its very nature, focuses on connections, broader understanding, and the integration of knowledge across different fields. While it provides a rich and comprehensive foundation, its primary goal is not to foster deep specialization in subject specific areas at an early stage. Specialization typically involves in-depth study within a narrow field, which is often a characteristic of a disciplinary approach rather than an inter-disciplinary one. An inter-disciplinary approach encourages students to see the big picture and how different pieces of knowledge fit together, rather than becoming an expert in one specific subject. Therefore, stating that it "provides basis for specialization in subject specific" is contrary to the core philosophy and primary aim of an inter-disciplinary approach. It might provide a broader context, but not a basis for narrow specialization.

Therefore, the statement "It provides basis for specialization in subject specific" is not a merit of the Inter-Disciplinary Approach of social studies.