Education Dept should ensure student aren’t burdened by school bags: Experts
Sunday, 25 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Experts have emphasised the importance of the Education department ensuring the appropriate enforcement of the directive issued to private schools regarding the weight of students’ school bags. They said this in response to the recent directive issued by the Education secretary Ravinath Raman instructing all Chief Education Officers (CEOs) of all the districts across the State to enforce guidelines on school bag weight for children. The directive specifies that pre-primary classes should be exempt from carrying school bags, while classes from three to XII should not exceed a weight of five kilogrammes. Notably, these instructions align with the principles outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Commenting about this, the president of the National Association for Parents and Students Rights (NAPSR) Arif Khan stated that in 2018, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) instructed the education secretaries of all states to ensure that no private school exceeds the stipulated weight limit of school bags for students. However, Khan added that the Education department merely issues the directive to schools as a formality and does not subsequently verify compliance. Khan added that in his capacity as president of NAPSR, he has urged the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) to oversee the proper implementation by the education department, yet no actions have been taken. He emphasised the need for the Education department to strictly enforce the weight limit directive and take punitive measures against schools that do not comply. Additionally, Khan highlighted the importance of the SCPCR monitoring whether the education sector ensures the appropriate implementation of weight limits for school bags in private schools. He emphasised that exceeding the weight limit of schools bags can have a detrimental impact on the mental and physical well-being of children.
Further, the chairperson of the SCPCR Geeta Khanna told this correspondent that the commission had conducted many inspections in schools in Dehradun, particularly focusing on the weight of school bags. These inspections revealed that many private schools were not adhering to the prescribed guidelines regarding the weight of school bags. Consequently, multiple letters urging strict action were sent to the Education department. As a result, the education department has recently issued directives, placing the responsibility on all district CEOs to ensure proper implementation. She added that if the education department fails to uphold the enforcement of the aforementioned directives on school bag weight, the SCPCR will once again correspond with the departments and take punitive measures against non-compliance.
