KHNAM submits letter to Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui

A Reporter

SHILLONG: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) on Monday submitted a letter to the Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui expressing their concern over the weight of school bags of children.

“With great concern on the health of the school going children, we have on several occasions submitted a memorandum to the Government of Meghalaya to ensure that weight of School bags for Children is well within the limits, but we have not been informed weather any steps have been initiated till date,” KHNAM state youth wing president Thomas Passah said here on Monday.

He informed that the Ministry of Human Resources Development, New Delhi, dated 5.10.2018 has instructed all the States and Union Territories to formulate Guidelines to regulate the teaching of subjects and weight of Scholl bag in accordance with the Government of India Instruction.

He said the State Department of Education have been directed to strictly comply with the following instructions with immediate effect in which homework shall not be assigned to the students of Class I & II, schools should not prescribed any other subjects except Language and Mathematics for Class I & II and Language, EVS and Mathematics for Class II to V students and students should not ask to bring additional books;extra materials and weight of school bags should not exceed the following limits.

Passah said that as communicated in our previous memorandum to the Government of Meghalaya it is again reiterated that children (especially below age of 12) studying in various schools in the city are made to carry school bags that are very heavy which is affecting their health.

“A Committee set up by the Government of Maharashtra has revealed that 58% of children below 10 years of age are suffering from Mild Muscle Pain and 74% of Children below the age of 12 frequently complain of illness from time to time due to heavy school bag, which has also been acknowledge by the Health department,” he said.

In the letter to the Education Minister, KHNAM stated that these little children are the saving grace of the society and their wellbeing should be the top most priority of the Government. Therefore, immediate and necessary action on the matter is highly requested and schools across the State should be instructed to strictly comply with the above instructions.

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