Despite four years ago, MOE, Government of India had issued strict directions to all the states and Union territories to regulate the time table in Schools along with the weight of School bags but still it’s an irony no such directions of MOE have been implemented resultant there in Students are undergoing piquant situation arisen on account of Heavy school bags!
Mohd Irfan
The School Education department miserably failed to adhere to the directives of the Ministry of Education (MOE) regarding regulation of time table in the schools as it has been reported that Government schools as well as private schools don’t follow the time table of books and direct the students to brings all books every day due to which burden of the school bags become heavy and the students of the respective classes have to carry heavy bags on their shoulders due to the failure of education department to ensure compliance of the directive of the Ministry of education ( MOE). Students rued that due to heavy schools’ bags they are facing grave pain as they couldn’t able to bear the heavy weight of their schools’ bags so much is the weight of the schools’ bags that our parent’s also get acknowledged that the bags are very heavy. But due to the official and administrative apathy we are left with no other option then to carry heavy bags which is death knell for us as it has repercussions on our body especially spinal cords, shoulders and other connecting parts of the body. Despite fully know to the school education department about this heavy school bags nothing concrete has been done so far as a result of which we have to bear the brunt for no fault of ours, School going students studying in different schools rued.
Scores of distressed calls made to the hidden news from the parents that due to heavy school bags being carry by their children’s they are facing immense hardships as their children’s are writhing in pain and when they come back to home from. Schools they reiterate by saying “We are having pain in our shoulders as such then we have to massage them so that they could able to relieve of the pain which they are confronting due to the heavy school bags” Aggrieved and dejected parents lamented while talking to the hidden news that this is really a sorry state of affairs that despite tall claims made by the School education department of bringing reforms in the education department but they are ostensibly failed to implemented the Ministry of Education directive passed about four years ago.
Parents launching a scathing attack upon the LG administration which they said they boasts claims under the UT regime grievances of the masses would be redressed in a time bound manner rather it’s an astonishing aspect despite three years down the line post abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35- A still the education department to our utter dismay and chagrin failed to regulate the time table and weight of School bags in the schools “Parents rued that it’s not a Herculean task to be done rather education department has to issued a notice to Government as well as private Schools to implement the MOE directives in terms of School weight but till now the directive of the central government not been implemented in its true letter and spirit as such our Children’s made to suffer immensely since several years but School education department sitting over the directives of the Central government “parent’s maintained.
As per the guidelines there should be no school bags for kindergarten students while the weight of school bags for class first and second primary should be 1.6 to 2.2 per kg while 1.7 to 2.5 per kg for classes 3rd to 5th Primary. But parents informed that School’s gives two hoots to the guidelines in regard to weight of the school bags and the limit which the government fixed regarding weight of school bags not been adhered to as such the weight of the School bags is triple then the weight fixed by the government.
It is pertinent to mention here in that as per the revised guidelines the weight of a school bag for class 6th and 7th students should be 2 to 3 per kg and 2.5 to 4 kg for class 8th students. “The weight of the school bag for class 9th and 10th standard should be 2.5 per kg to 4.5 kgs and for class 11th and 12th it should be 3.5 kgs to 5 Kg”. It is out of place to mention here in that the school education department (SED) in 2020 made certain amendments in the JK School education act 2002 in order to ease the burden of heavy bags carried by school going children’s in the Union territory. “Rather there is a school bags policy also of year 2020 and heavy school bags are a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of the student’s and Directorate of School education department in Kashmir ( DSEK) sought strict adherence to the School bags policy”. The school education department added rule 8 A in the school education act under which the heads of schools were entrusted to ensure that No homework is assigned to students upto class 2nd primary in all government as well as private schools affiliated with JK board of School education.
In Kashmir region as per reports Director School Education has put cap on the weight of school bags and ensure compliance of the directive of the central government that schools would regulate the time table and not called unnecessary books from the student’s rather the weight which has been fixed by the MOE of school bags of respective classes that to be complied forth with for which even DCs of the respective districts directed the Tehsildars that ensure the compliance of weight of school bags policy in its entirety and even heads of the respective institutions need to checked that the School bags policy be implemented so that the tender shoulders of the students can’t have to face much trauma and hardships which are encountering since long.
Social Activist pleading anonymity that office of Directorate of School education Jammu (DSEJ) not issued any order with regard to the cap on the weight of school bags which are mandatory given the mental stress and grave pain these children are facing, he maintained. He vehemently said that the Media persons required to come forward and brings into the notice of top babu of the School education department that the School going students are overburdened due to heavy weight of school bags as such issued a notice in regard to the same so that the student’s be relieve of the agony which are facing since long due to the bureaucratic functioning of these babus,” he divulged that sooner the School education department implement the cap on weight of school bags better it would be in the interest of the student’s at large”.
