BENGALURU: NEW rules which fix the weight of their school bags based on their body weight are expected to be notified soon.
A recommendation report has been submitted, in this regard, to the Primary and Secondary Education Department by an expert committee in the first week of January.
Some experts who were involved in the preparation of the report also pointed out that recommendations include providing space for kids at school to keep their stuff, and having a ‘No bag day’ once a week.
Officials from DSERT confirmed receiving the report and said, “It has been forwarded to the principal secretary, Primary and Secondary Education Department, to issue final guidelines. We can expect it to be out any time.”
School bags weigh between 1.8 kg and 8.3 kg
The committee found that the average weight of school bags for students of private un-aided schools was 5.6 kg. Government school students carry bags weighing the least at an average of 3.7 kg across the city. The survey also found that the weight of the bag increased when students move from primary to high school. Overall, the weight of bags ranged between 1.8 kg in Class 1 of a government school to the maximum of 8.3 kg for a Class 12 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya.
The number of notebooks carried by a child is the highest in Class 8 at an average of 10.5 notebooks across all categories. The least number of notebooks are carried by students of Class 1 at an average of 3.5. The survey also revealed that many students carry other material too.