KO file photo by Abid Bhat
KG Students Not Required To Carry School Bags
Srinagar- In a move aimed to ease the burden on the shoulders of school children, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday directed all schools to reduce weight of school bags, besides adhering to the recommendations of books made by the Department of School Education and Literacy Ministry of Education, Government of India.
In a circular issued here Friday, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) said that in compliance to the directions passed in a Public Interest Litigation, School Education Department had made the amendment to J&K School Education Act 2002 by inserting Rule 8A, which mandates School Heads to regulate weight of school bags and mandated Government to cancel affiliation and recognition of the school violating provisions of Rule 8A.
The government said that it has been brought to their knowledge that the implementation of orders is not seen on ground level as most of the schools flout norms as envisaged in Rule 8A of J&K School Education Act 2002.
“..the Department of School Education & Literacy GOI has rolled down School Bag Policy, 2020 in consonance with the judgment of Madras High Court dated: 19.05.2018 in WP No. 25680 of 2017 titled “M. Purushothanan Vs Union of India “wherein Union of India interalia was directed to frame a policy on children school bag as on the lines of “Children School Bags (Limitation on weight) Bill, 2016,” reads the order, a copy of which lies with Kashmir Observer.
The order says that the School Bag Policy 2020 is a comprehensive guideline on School Bag Weight and includes following advisory:
“The school bag is a common cause of backache in school-going children. A heavy bag may cause a child to compensate by leaning his body forward and this can strain muscles in his neck, shoulders and back,” reads the guideline. Adding “The child may also find it difficult to put the bag on and take it off, or he falls frequently in school while carrying his schoolbag”
The government now directed all the School Heads (Government as well as Private) to strictly adhere to the S.O 126 issued by School Education Department on 15 April, 2020 enforcing Rule 8A of J&K School Education Rules, 2010 and revised guidelines of School Bag Policy, 2020 issued by Department of School Education and Literacy Ministry of Education, Government of India for reducing of School bag weight and recommendations of books thereof.
“Any dereliction on part of any Government or Private School shall be viewed seriously and shall invite the action as envisaged in Rule 8A clause(3),” reads the circular.
The Government had made the following amendments in J&K School Education Rules, 2010.
- No homework is assigned to students of classes up to 2nd standard.
- No formal books are prescribed at Pre-primary (Nursery, LKG, UKG) levels.
However, student of these classes may be provided maximum two notebooks/work books to be kept in the teacher’s custody in the school itself; Students of Pre-primary level are not asked to carry any bag except light carrier for Lunch box;
No Schools should prescribe any other subjects except;
(a) Language and Arithmetic for class 1st & 2nd;
(b) Language, Environmental Science (EVS) & Arithmetic for class 3rd to 5th; and
(c) Language, Social Science, Mathematics and Science for class 6th and 7th, or as prescribed by the affiliating authority.
Students shall not be asked to bring additional books and extra material to school.
According to the defined rules, no bag was required for preschool children while for classes I-II it was 1.5 Kg, III-IV it was 3Kg, from fifth to seventh standard it was 4 Kg, from 8th to 9th it was 5KG and for 10th standard students it was 5.5 Kg.
The order directs the School Education Department to issue detailed guidelines and direction from time to time regulating the weight of the school bags.
Schools Warned Against ‘Uniform Trade’
Earlier the Jammu and Kashmir administration directed private recognised schools that they should desist from compelling parents of students to purchase textbooks, stationery and uniforms from any particular shop.
It also asked the private schools to not charge any fee other than approved by the fee fixation and regulation committee.
Director, School Education Jammu (DSEJ), Ravi Shankar has issued a circular following complaints against private schools for allegedly asking parents to purchase textbooks, stationery and uniforms from a particular shop here.
“Such practices have been observed to be financially burdening for parents, particularly when purchasing books that are not prescribed by the Board to which the school is affiliated,” the circular said.
Such practices also go against the ethical guidelines issued by the government, it said, adding private schools must notify through their websites the list of subjects and prescribed books by the affiliated Board.
“Private schools are not allowed to make any subject or book mandatory and cannot ask parents to buy books from a particular book shop,” the circular read.
“It is once again enjoined upon all the private recognised schools that they desist from compelling the parents for purchasing books and uniforms from any particular shops and change of books thereof.”
It said that further in order to have a wider choice for the parents for purchase of books and uniforms, the same should be made available in the open market.
“Any deviation from these instructions, if noticed, shall be viewed seriously and action will be taken as per the provisions of law which inter-alia includes the-recognition of schools and withdrawal of NOC as well,” the circular said.
The DSEJ directed all chief education officers to constitute special monitoring teams headed by deputy chief education officers and zonal education officers to verify complaints regarding the sale of books, uniforms by private schools, or pressing parents for purchases from any particular shop.
In a separate circular, the Director of DSEJ, while addressing complaints regarding private schools demanding annual and admission fees, as well as other charges besides tuition fees, from parents of students enrolled in their institutions, said, “Such schools have also increased their annual and tuition fees without the approval of the Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC).”
The DSEJ said all private schools should strictly abide by the J-K School Education Act 2002 and desist from charging any fee other than approved by the fee fixation and regulation committee.
Any deviation will invite action as envisaged under Section 27 (2) of the Act, the circular added.
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