Centre looking at ways to reduce school bag load

Proposal to divide textbooks into two volumes

To reduce the burden of school bags on children, the Centre is looking into a proposal to divide the textbooks into two volumes so that they become thinner and lighter. The first volume will cover half of the curriculum while the second will have the portions to be covered in the next half of the academic session.

“This and many other
suggestions are under the government’s consideration,” Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar said in response to questions in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The minister noted that the Tamil Nadu government had already introduced a trimester system for classes I to VIII in all its schools to reduce the load of books.

“This system ensures that  children carry only the books needed for the relevant term, which will substantially reduce physical load and also remove psychological fear from young minds,” he said.

The central government and many state governments are taking steps to reduce the burden of school bags on students.

The Maharashtra government has started digital schools and more than 50,000 schools are getting a digital upgrade.

In Kendriya Vidyalayas
“The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has taken a number of steps to promote digital learning in its vidyalayas,” he said. To begin with, all students of Class VIII in 25 Kendriya Vidyalayas — one from each region — will be provided with “good quality” tablets on pilot basis, he said. “Both students and teachers will use tablets for mathematics and science for enhancing their skills in these subjects,” Javadekar said.