Bagful of surprises as HP students go bag-free

Bhanu P Lohumi 

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 26

A skip in their gait and smiles on their faces, as many as 8.90 lakh students in 15,429 Himachal Pradesh government schools, among them 3.11 lakh tiny-tots (primary), attended school on Saturday without having to carry cumbersome schoolbags.

  Their day packed with fun activities, there was excitement and laughter all around. The attendance was, of course, more than usual. Besides “Bal Sabha”, the students participated in games such as kabaddi, tug-of-war and volleyball. There were brainteasers too in the form of quiz contests. 

The Education Department has decided that the last Saturday of every month will be “bag-free”. The aim is to provide a different learning environment — more creative, stimulating and fun-filled. 

“No bags! We did not carry the anxiety of showing homework to teachers,” exclaimed Ankur, a Class VII student at Government Senior Secondary School, Boileauganj. 

Buoyed by the response, Director of Elementary Education Manmohan Sharma said they intended to continue with the experiment though some private schools had refused to be a part of it. 

Showing the way, Government Central Public School, Kothi, near Reckong Peo in  Kinnaur district, was the first to turn “bagless” last year, doing away with satchels for Class I and II and equipping classrooms with computers and cameras. “The school has emerged as a role model; the staff have been issued appreciation letters,” said Sharma.