The Delhi Government's Directorate of Education (DoE) is yet to take a call on the Centre's decision of reducing the weight of school bags. On Monday, the Centre had asked schools in all states and union territories to adhere to guidelines capping the weight of school bags for Classes 1 to 10. "Around two months ago, we had issued a circular and scrapped homework for Classes 1 and 2. We are examining the circular and the matter decided on it in a day or so," says Sanjay Goel, Director of DoE.
Experts, on the other hand, believe that there should be no school bags at all. "Apart from the lunch box, children should not carry anything in their bags," says Shayama Chona, former Delhi Public School (DPS) principal and educationist. "Children should have fun and get out of the cycle of carrying work home. At home, they are burdened with tuitions. In fact, schools should instead send back a storybook for parents and children to bond over. Children should play outdoors and learn things in that manner."
Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal of Springdales school, welcomed the decision to reduce the weight of schoolbags. "The menace of tuitions will also be removed by this move," says Wattal. "It will bring back lost childhood for these children. We have handouts for our younger children and seniors have lockers to keep their study material and books. We also encourage our children to share books in the classroom."
Meanwhile, the Gujarat government issued instructions to all schools in the state on Tuesday, to ensure that the weight of school bags is not more than 10 per cent of the child's weight. According to the Government Resolution (GR) issued to the state on Tuesday, the schools will have to decide the weight of school bags for students in each standard, as per the average standard weight of children. The government also put restrictions on the study material, besides textbooks, and an added burden of homework on the students.
The GR reads, "The leading doctors suggest that the weight of the school bag should not be more than 10 per cent of the student's total weight. The government, therefore, has resolved to decrease the weight of school bags through this resolution."
The GR cited reasons for this rule, saying, "Increasing weight of school bag causes problems such as backache, muscular pain, mental stress, spinal cord injury, neck pain and other similar health problems. This also causes adverse effect on growth and development of the children."
The state government has also issued a model timetable for schools that can decrease the burden further. The education inspectors will assess whether schools implement this new rule.
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