Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MPCPCR) has said that it is shocked by the weight of bags schoolchildren are being made to carry on their backs.
The Commission has recommended that the private schools in the state should strictly adhere to guidelines issued by Union Education Ministry in 2020, laying down the maximum weight of school bags.
In a letter addressed to all District Education Officers (DEOs), the Commission said that during inspection of private schools in current academic session, it found that school bags weighed up to 25kg-30 kg.
“Such heavy bags are bound to harm children, mentally and physically. They are children, not beasts,” member of commission Brajesh Chauhan said, adding that the schools should follow the school bag policy announced by the Union Government.
The School Bag Policy announced by the Department of School Education and Literacy of Ministry of Human Resource Development in November 2020 stipulates the maximum weight of school bags for different age groups of students. The policy was formulated in consultation with NCERT, CBSE and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
The policy says that the weight of the school bags should not be more than 10% of the weight of children. Under the policy, students of pre-primary classes are not required to carry any bag.
The maximum weight of bags for children from classes 1 to 5 should not be more than 2.5 kg. Similarly, for the middle classes (6-8), the school bags should not weigh more than 4 kg. The students of classes 9-10 can be made to carry school bags with a maximum weight of 4.5 kg.
The Centre, in a communication addressed to the education secretaries of all the states and union territories, said that they should ensure implementation of policy in the schools in their jurisdiction. The MPCPCR has urged DEOs to see to it that the policy is strictly adhered to in all private schools in their districts.
