WEIGHT OF SCHOOL BAGS –

WEIGHT OF SCHOOL BAGS –

State makes school principals responsible for full compliance

 

Aschool's principal would be held responsible if any of his students is found carrying a school bag heavier than the state's prescribed limit.

The state government issued a government resolution to this effect on November 5, a copy of which was submitted before a division bench of Justice V M Kanade and Justice Revati Mohite-Dere on Wednesday.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Swati Patil on rising weight of school bags and its adverse impact on the children's health. Soon after the petition was filed, government had appointed a committee to look into the matter and suggest solutions.

The prescribed weight of school bags for students of classes 1 to 8 is between 1,800 gm and 3,425 gm, or not more than 10% of a student's weight. The government resolution comes into effect from November 30. The earlier government resolution issued on July 21 had placed the responsibility of making sure students are not saddled with unreasonably heavy bags on both the school and the parents. The new GR takes parents out of the equation and puts the onus entirely on the school principal and a Trustee nominated by the Trust which runs school.

The expert committee appointed by the state govern ment has recommended that parents should ensure that their kids carry only books which are required for the day. It has also urged schools to increase use of e-learning, conduct frequent checks of the weight of students' bags, and make play equipment available in schools so that children don't have to carry them.

According to the expert com mittee, students on an average carry schools bags heavier by over 20 to 30 per cent than what's prescribed for their age. As a consequence, around 60 per cent students below the age of 10 suffer from orthopaedic as well as stress induced ailments.

The committee has also recommend ed that instead of asking students to carry all their books every day, the schools could make sure that only one book for each subject is used for three months before turning to other texts prescribed for the subject.

Source | Mumbai Mirror | 19 November 2015