The J&K Government has shelved the guidelines issued by Union ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for reducing burden of school bags on primary school students.
Last year, the ministry issued instructions to schooleducation departments of all states including J&K to regulate teaching ofsubjects and weight of school bags. “Despite passing of seven months there hasbeen no progress on implementation of these directions,” an official said.
Greater Kashmir carried a series of stories regarding theissue of heavy school bags carried by school-going children on tender shoulderscausing back problems to them.
The students in J&K are forced to carry heavy bagsdespite Children’s School Bag Act 2006 being in place. As per the Act, aschoolbag should not weigh more than 10 per cent of a child’s total bodyweight. But authorities in school education department have failed to ensureimplementation of this Act.
Owing to the growing concerns the school educationdepartment had constituted two committees for recommending reducing weight ofschool bags.
“One committee was constituted on directions of the HighCourt. It submitted its recommendation but they were never implemented,” anofficial said.
Later, in November 2018 the tenure of same committee wasextended and entrusted to put forth recommendation in line with the MHRDguidelines.
“The committee again submitted its recommendations inFebruary this year but again there is no word on implanting thoserecommendations,” the official said.
A source said the management of top private schools wasallegedly lobbying in bureaucracy to sabotage implementation of therecommendations.
“The committee has pitched for common curriculum in privateand government schools which is internally opposed by private schools,” thesource said.
He said strict implementation of the recommendations willput a check on text books prescribed by private schools which are sold inmarket at exorbitant rates.
“There is a nexus between the private publishers and ownersof top private schools as both make hay by selling these textbooks in schoolcampuses in gross violation of rules,” the source said, adding these books areunnecessarily added to the time table of students in primary classes which addsburden on the tender shoulders of the school going children.
Earlier, a survey carried by department of social andpreventive medicine (SPM) of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, hadrevealed that 83.7 percent of children carry bags heavier than 10 percent ofbody weight. It also revealed that over 50 percent school children complainedof backache.
As per the MHRD guidelines, the education department hasbeen asked to ensure that the weight of school bag should not exceed 1.5 kg upto 2nd primary, 3kg for class III to V students, 4 kg in case of students of VIand VII class. It has been also stated that weight of school bag should notexceed 4.5kg for class VIII and IX students and 5kg for class 10th students.
Advisor to Governor, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and Secretaryschool education department, Sarita Chauhan didn’t respond to repeated callsfrom Greater Kashmir for their comments on the issue.