the goan I network
PANAJI
The government has finally taken cognizance of the increasing sizes and weight of bags slumped on their shoulders by children as they walk or travel to school everyday and stepped in to curb their burden.
In a fiat issued to education ministries of States, including Goa, the Centre has directed that students should not be asked to carry additional texts books or material and their school bags must be within limits set for their respective classes. The directions also ask the respective education ministries to ensure that subjects other than those prescribed by NCERT are not taught.
The Union Human Resources Development Ministry’s circular issued in October says school bags of grade X students should not weigh more than 5 kilograms.
In the circular the HRD Ministry also said that bags of grade I and II students can weigh only up to 1.5 kilograms and a maximum of 2-3 kilograms for students of standards III, IV and V.
For students of classes VI and VII, the weight limit of school bags is pegged at 4-kgs and at 4.5-kgs for students of Classes VIII & IX.
The circular also restricts the intellectual burden schools can exert on its students. It bars schools from prescribing any subject in addition to language and mathematics for class I and II students.
“Home work shall not be assigned to the students of Class I and II,” the circular states.
In classes III, IV and V, the curriculum for the students should be restricted to only languages, EVS and Mathematics, the HRD circular adds.
