Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): School children in the city are carrying heavy bags though state government has issued guidelines in this regard. According to parents, the bags of the children are too heavy for their age, which affect their health. The schools, however, claim that they have been following the government directives. Schools reopened after summer vacations on June 23.
The state school education department has issued guidelines on maximum weight of bags of students from Class 1 to 12 based on the Centre’s School Bag Policy 2020.
Vandana Nayak, the mother of 11-year-old Kedar, said the bag of her grade-7 student son weighed 12 kg. “He carries 6-7 books, an equal number of notebooks, a register, diary and tiffin box to school daily,” she says.
According to Priyanka Sen, she has trouble carrying the bag of her Class-6 student son Aryan to the bus stop. “I don’t know how he carries it to his classroom on the third floor,” she says. His school has nine periods and there is one book and one notebook for every period. “He often complains of back and shoulder pain. I have been complaining about it at PTMs but nothing changed,” she added. “There is a lift for teachers but we have to use staircase,” Aryan said.
Anand Vihar School principal Shailesh Zope said they were trying their best to reduce bags’ weight but the children and their parents were not cooperating. “We tell them not to bring so many books and notebooks but they don’t listen,” he said.
According to Zope, they keep the books and copies of kindergarten students in school. In higher classes, the students sharing a bench are asked to bring books of different subjects, which they can share between themselves.
Campion School PROWinston Minj said, “We strictly adhere to government guidelines on weight of school bags. Small children don’t have to bring school bags at all.”
How much should school bags weigh?
S No Class Weight range of school bags in kg
1 First 1.6-2.2
2 Second 1.6-2.2
3 Third 1.7-2.5
4. Fourth 1.7-2.5
5. Fifth 1.7-2.5
6. Sixth 2.0-3.0
7. Seventh 2-3
8. Eighth 2.5-4
9. Ninth 2.5-4.5
10. Tenth 2.5-4.5
Class 11 and 12 bags weight to be decided by school management committees on the basis of subject-streams chosen by the students
Member of MP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Anurag Pandey said, "We issue guidelines on school bags every year. We will do this year too. This is not followed in most schools. I think parents are more to be blamed for this situation. They often ignore schools’ directives and put every book and notebook in the bags."
Class 6 student, Aryan Sen said "There is a lift for teachers but we have to use staircase".
