State yet to decide on ‘school bag’ issue

State yet to decide on ‘school bag’ issue

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: With barely ten days left for the commencement of the 2019 school academic session in the State, questions have been raised on whether the recent advisory related to Children School Bag (Limitation on Carrying) Rule, 2006, will be adhered to by the State Government.

Principal Secretary of Education, Donald P Wahlang told The Sentinel that the department will examine the advisory and appropriate orders will be given to the schools.

Last week, a medical practitioner of the city, Dr Tilok Das Gupta wrote to the State Chief Secretary, Y Shering, reminding him that the prescribed weight of school bags containing school materials of a child should not be more than 10 per cent of the body weight because the excessive weight of school bags adversely affects the health of a child in the form of body ache, fatigue, postural infirmity and other structural problems.

The medical practitioner also cited the research oriented surveys by reputed organizations which revealed that 68 per cent of school children under the age of 13 years across the country may suffer from mild back pain which can develop into chronic pain and later into hunchback.

When The Sentinel sought the opinion of the former State Minister of Education Ampareen Lyngdoh on the issue, she commented “The management of Sarva Shiksha Abiyan (SSA) sponsored schools have been told to stick to the rule and any failure on their part should be held accountable.

Candid in saying that the rule should be put in place to ease the burden of school children, the former education minister bemoaned the fact that this rule should have come into effect when she was in the helm of affairs.

Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi and Lakshadweep have already enforced the rule.

Also read: Meghalaya News

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