UP government takes weight off students with 'No Bag Saturdays'

Students in Uttar Pradesh will not have to bear the burden of carrying their school bags on Saturdays anymore. The Yogi Adityanath-led state government has passed an order making Saturdays a 'No Bag Day' across all government schools up to Class 8.

Dr Dinesh Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister, said, "We have set aside Saturdays for fun activities".

About 1.75 crore students studying in 1.25 lakh primary and secondary schools will reap the benefits of this new order from the new academic session, beginning July. The government is also planning to introduce Yoga and Surya Namaskar in government schools on Saturday.

Sharma, who also holds the Higher and Secondary Education, Science and Technology, Electronics and IT portfolios, said, "Our aim is to put the spotlight on extra-curricular activities to shape a student's overall development. It will also establish a close bond between students and teachers. All principals and heads of schools have been directed to design programmes to focus on extra-curricular activities. The state education department will soon issue guidelines for the same."

This apart, the government also plans to make all government schools co-educational in the state. "We want boys and girls to respect each other. Also, students studying in co-education schools carry no inhibitions or gender bias when they reach higher classes," said Sharma. He also said the co-education system will be implemented on a trail basis from the new academic session.