The Directorate of Education has issued a circular asking schools to follow the new ‘School Bag Policy, 2020’ released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Key takeaways
According to the circular, schoolteachers should inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to school on a particular day.
They should frequently check their bags to ensure that they are not carrying unnecessary material.
The weight of the school bags, as per the policy, should be: (i) 1.6 to 2.2 kg for Classes I and II students, (ii) 1.7 to 2.5 kg for Classes III, IV and V, (iii) 2 to 3 kg for Classes VI and VII, (iv) 2.5 to 4 kg for Class VIII, (v) 2.5 to 4.5 kg for Classes IX and X and (vi) 3.5 to 5 kg for Classes XI and XII.
The teachers should take the responsibility of checking the weight of school bags of the students every three months on a day selected for the whole class.
Any information about heavy bags should be communicated to the parents.
To reduce the weight of the school bag, the school management should provide quality potable water in sufficient quantity to all the students in the school.
Do you know?
Heavy school bags are a serious threat to the health and well-being of students.
The heavy school bag can cause damage to vertebral column and knees of the growing children.
