School children in Uttarakhand will soon get rid of the burden of heavy school bags and will even be allowed to come to school without bags once a week.
The maximum weight limit of school bags has also been fixed by the government to five kilograms. In an exclusive conversation with The New Indian Express, state Education Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat said, "To improve the standard of education, the government is implementing every suggestion as per the opinion of experts so that school children can showcase their talent".
"Reducing the load of school bags is the first step in this direction so that the physical development of the student is not hampered," the minister added.
"A book from each district on the theme 'Our Heritage' in schools will be published and included in the curriculum. It will make students aware of the rich heritage of each district," the minister said, adding that, "A government order will be issued soon."
The aim of the education ministry
The Ministry and the Education are constantly engaged in brainstorming and experimenting to improve the standard of primary education in Uttarakhand. "The government has also decided to install a weighing machine in the school so that the overloaded weight of the bag can be detected in a surprise inspection," Minister Rawat said.
More updates
Higher and School Education Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat also told The New Indian Express, "Ten cluster schools will be opened in all the development blocks of the state. The cluster school will be equipped with modern facilities, where rupees two crore will be spent on each school."
"These schools will be more high-tech and modern than private schools," claimed Minister Dr Rawat.
Poonam Nangia, a retired senior teacher of Kendriya Vidyalaya, who has served in teaching for 35 years, told The New Indian Express, "The scheme is already in place in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Now the state government has also implemented the curriculum of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), in which, the online board system should be implemented under smart classes. This will reduce the weight of the bag by two to three kgs."