Speaking to PTI on Sunday, Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari said: “All private schools and government-aided schools in the state will have to follow the NCERT School Bag Policy 2020 and ensure that the weight of the school bag does not exceed 10 per cent of the child’s body weight.
This step aims to reduce the physical burden on students.”He said that the weight of school bags should be monitored regularly in schools and institutions should also prepare timetables in such a way that students do not have to carry books or unnecessary materials every day.The minister added that student health and comprehensive development are essential to this policy. “Therefore, it is imperative that every school, irrespective of its management, be required to ensure the implementation of the school bag policy for the good of our children.
Health, physical education and art education are areas that help in the overall development of children. We must give these matters sufficient space in the timetable.”As per NCERT guidelines, schools should also make checking the weight of bags a routine practice using a functional weighing machine on campus. “For classes 1 to 5, teachers should take the responsibility of randomly checking the weight of school bags every three months on a designated day for the entire class. Information about heavy bags should be sent to the child’s parents, and the bag should be monitored for a week or two to ensure that the child starts carrying a lighter bag,” the guidelines say.
