Govt fixes the burden of a child’s books

MUMBAI, May 13: With the alacrity of an inspired and dogged crusader, the state government has stood up for the physically-burdened schoolk...

MUMBAI, May 13: With the alacrity of an inspired and dogged crusader, the state government has stood up for the physically-burdened schoolkid. It today warned schools of action for weighing down students with useless material in the guise of educational aids.

State Education Minister Sudhir Joshi said at a press conference here that the decision was taken following recommendations made by a committee instituted by the state government in November last year to study the problem of students having to carry heavy loads of books and teaching aids to school.

Joshi said the committee laid down some guidelines and suggested that an average load of between two and three kilos from the Std I to X should be allowed. Accordingly, the government has asked both parents and school managements not to insist on students carrying education material such as guides and workbooks not prescribed by the state government.

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The committee has also recommended that students of Std I and II should use slates for mathematics and languages. For other subjects, it said, only one common 100-page notebook should be used.

It decided that there was no need for students below Std III to bring compass boxes to school. Also, students should not be introduced to any other language other than the medium of instruction till Std IV.

The committee recommended that students of Std I to V should bring books other than that of language and mathematics only according to the time-table. But students of Std I and II should not bring their home-work and class-work notebooks to school.

The committee was set up following a suggestion by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray that the state government should take some concrete steps to relieve small children from the burden of carrying heavy school-bags everyday.

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The committee was instituted under the research officer of the state Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, V Z Sali, and was chaired by Joshi himself.