Education department sets November 30 deadline to reduce weight of school bags

The school education department has set a deadline of November 30 for schools to reduce the weight of students’ school bags, failing which, principals of schools will be held accountable.

The announcement, made on November 5, aims to get schools to implement the low weight school bags’ initiative as soon as they reopen after Diwali vacations as the High Court too has asked for a compliance report.

After Education Minister Vinod Tawde took cognisance of the increasing weight of school bags, a committee was set up to observe the same and recommend ways and means to reduce weight.

The committee submitted its recommendations in July this year and a resolution accepting these recommendations was issued. However, the implementation of the recommendations was pending.

The high court, while hearing a petition in September and October, ordered that the government immediately implement recommendations of the committee by issuing a circular to schools.

As the committee had suggested a time frame of three months for schools to work out ways to reduce weight of school bags, the government set the deadline as November 30.

The GR issued on November 5 clearly states that while implementation of the committee’s recommendations is the duty of teachers appointed to suggest the same in schools, principals will also be held responsible for non-implementation of the order and failure of the school to reduce weight of school bags.