In a fresh directive issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, HRD ministry has instructed schools in all states and Union Territories to not give homework for classes 1st and 2nd. The directive also mentions prescribing weight limit of bags of different classes accordingly, as per the instructions.
The circular directed, “Schools are expected to make sure that students are “not asked to bring additional books — extra materials and weight of the school bag should not exceed the following limit”.
As per the order, the maximum weight of school bags for students of Classes 1 and 2 should be 1.5 kg. For classes 3 to 5, the weight should not exceed 2-3 kg while for classes 6 and 7, it should stay within 4 kg. For Classes 8 and 9 it should be lighter than 4.5 kg, and should not exceed 5 kg for Class 10.
The circular further mentions that homework shall not be assigned to the students of Classes 1 and 2.
“Schools should not prescribe any other subjects except Language and Mathematics for class 1 and 2; Language, EVS, and Mathematics for class III to V as prescribed by the NCERT,” said the circular
The circular has also prescribed to use only NCERT books.
Earlier, courts have also made observations on heavy school bags that students are forced to carry. The Bombay High Court had recently asked the state government on its progress towards implementing in the center’s instructions. The Madras High Court, too, had said in may that children are not weightlifters.