It has been a long time call to put an end to the learning system that physically burdens children. This is something that has been put forward by various courts and expert committees. It's just that nothing happened. The three- to seventeen-year-olds can be seen carrying a large book bag to and from school and back home. Now there is a temporary relief from the 'heavy work' due to the Covid time closure. Another important suggestion is that the weight of bags shouldn't be more than 10 percent of the bodyweight of students and that homework should not be allowed in classes one and two. The Union Ministry of Education has sent a detailed letter to the states outlining the steps to be taken in this regard and it is the responsibility of the states to implement the recommendations.

The complaints about the excessive weight of school bags are very old. Even the nursery child's school bag has gotten big because after carrying lunch and drinking water. The bags will have a lot of notebooks and accessories along with the textbooks. The bags of students in the upper classes looks like a sack. There are even children who carry this bookbag regularly and get sick on the neck and back. Many committees, including health experts who have studied the subject in depth, have been submitting various proposals to the government from time to time to protect children from carrying such loads. Despite the fact that it can be implemented at no cost, no favorable decision has been taken on this issue for so long. In any case, with the implementation of the new education policy, the Center has come up with proposals to ease the burden on children.

The condition is that nursery children should not carry bags. The bag for first and second class children should weigh a maximum of 2.2 kg. In classes three, four and five, it should not exceed two and a half kilos. The bag weight is prescribed as 3 kg in 6th and 7th class, 4 kg in 8th class, 4.5 kg in 9th and 10th class and 5 kg in 11th and 12th class. Another important suggestion is to make arrangements to provide lunch at the school itself to avoid the lunch box. Water bottles can also be avoided in the bag if drinking water is available. It is also advisable to set up a locker facility in the classrooms to store books and other study materials. Each class is also prescribed a timetable related to homework. Classes one and two should be completely excluded from homework. Subsequent classmates should be given a limited amount of homework in this regard. Even in senior classes, do not allow more than two hours a week to be set aside for homework.

It is also suggested that digital scales be installed in schools to check the weight of the school bag to ensure that children do not carry too much weight. Though it is not simple, when it comes to being tested in such a way, not everyone is careful not to overdo the suggestion. Parents also need to be convinced that only the well-being of their children is behind these actions. They also need to be willing to follow the instructions accordingly. Everyone knows that textbooks add weight to a school bag. Recently, there has been a practice of preparing texts separately, including the lessons to be learned in each term. Adopting this model for all subjects can significantly reduce the burden. It is up to the teachers and the school authorities to make the right decision in such matters. There are teachers who severely punish a child for not bringing any specific book or notebook. Such people also need some new guidelines.

Along with the guidelines brought by the Center to curb the overburden of school bags, the Kerala High Court yesterday issued an order restricting the collection of excessive fees in CBSE schools. In the wake of Covid, the state education department has also issued an order that private schools in the state should not charge excessive fees. This is based on a court order. This restriction is due to the fact that charging more than is required to run a school can be a burden on parents during the Covid period. As usual, there were widespread complaints this year that school managements were charging fees at the old rates or higher. The general opinion is that fee control should not be limited to the Covid period. Some permanent restrictions are needed on this issue as well.