No homework for students of classes I and II and prescribed weight limit of school bags for each class are part of the fresh directives issued by the HRD ministry to states and union territories across the country.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has instructed all the state governments to make school bags lighter, asking them to fix it at a maximum of 5 kg for students of Class X and just 1.5 kg for students of Classes I and II.
While the weight of school bags for students of Classes III to VI should remain between 2 and 3 kg, it should not exceed 4 kg in the case of the those studying in Classes VI to VII.
The weight of school bags of students of Classes VIII and IX should be kept at 4.5 kg, the ministry prescribed in a recent communication to the education departments of all states and Union Territories.
It also instructed the states to ensure that no homework is assigned to students of Classes I and II, official sources in the ministry confirmed.
Asking the state authorities to “regulate” the teaching of subjects in various classes in order to keep school bags lighter, the ministry sought that the schools under their jurisdiction should not prescribe any other subjects except language and mathematics for Classes I and II.
Students of Classes III and V should be taught environment studies (EVS) and mathematics as prescribed by NCERT, the ministry directed.
“Students should not be asked to bring additional books, extra material,” the ministry instructed. The ministry issued directives to states and Union territories in compliance with a Madras High Court verdict in the matter that came in May.
The court had in its order directed the government to disaffiliate schools prescribing homework and non-prescribed subjects for Class I and II students and Class III to V students.
It had also sought the Union government to direct the state governments and Union Territory administrations to form “special squads” to inspect schools and prevent the use of non-prescribed books