Meeting to implement School Bag Policy 2020
Patiala, November 24
The district administration is set to hold a meeting regarding the School Bag Policy 2020 with all school principals to implement the guidelines of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for reducing the burden of school bags on schoolchildren. The directions were issued by Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney.
The DC said that according to the school bag policy, it is essential that the weight of school bags for students from Classes I to XII not exceed 10 per cent of their body weight. For pre-nursery students, no school bags are required. She added that the parents should be informed about the rules as well so that they don’t burden their children with heavy bags.
Sawhney said a team has been formed under the supervision of District Child Protection Officer Shaina Kapoor and Assistant Elementary Education Officer Manvinder Kaur Bhullar to estimate the weight of school bags for children across the district. The supervisors said during the inspections they found that some bags had excess weight. They added that according to the syllabus and timetable, there should be fewer books, especially since schools now use apps, which eliminates the need for carrying extra materials.
They further said bottles, lunch boxes and pencil boxes added to the weight of the bags. They suggested that a library needs to be established in each class so that the students can keep extra books there and read them at their convenience.
The inspection team included officials from the Education Department, the Child Protection Officeand the School Safety Department.
