Guwahati/Dibrugarh: The education department has launched a crackdown to lighten heavy school bags following a state government directive aimed at easing the burden on students. Soon after assuming office for a second consecutive term, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced that the government had decided to reduce the weight of school bags for children.
District Administrations Issue Orders
Over the past few days, the Sivasagar and Bongaigaon district administrations have issued orders prescribing weight limits for school bags across different classes. Sources said the limits were recently set by the state government and districts have been directed to implement them, with others expected to follow suit.
Prescribed Weight Limits
As per the instructions issued by the inspectors of schools in Sivasagar and Bongaigaon, the maximum permissible weight of school bags has been fixed at:
- 1.5 kg for Classes I-II
- 2-3 kg for Classes III-V
- 4 kg for Classes VI-VII
- 4.5 kg for Classes VIII-IX
- 5 kg for Class X
Inspector of schools, Sivasagar district circle, Samiron Bora, on Saturday directed all government, provincialised, and private schools in the district to strictly comply with the prescribed limits.
Strict Enforcement Warning
In a similar directive, Pallabi Medhi, inspector of schools, Bongaigaon district, urged all school heads to ensure strict adherence to the notification with immediate effect. “Any violation of the instructions shall be viewed seriously, and appropriate action will be initiated against the defaulting school in accordance with applicable rules and regulations,” she said.
An official from the office of the inspector of schools, Sivasagar, said, “The weight limits were notified by the government back in 2018, but compliance on the ground has remained inconsistent. We are now directing all schools to ensure strict adherence and will not hesitate to act against schools found violating these norms.”
Health Concerns and Skepticism
Parents, teachers, and educationists have long expressed concern over children being made to carry excessively heavy bags filled with textbooks, notebooks, and other materials — often leading to posture-related and other health issues among young students.
Ratul Chandra Goswami, principal secretary of the Assam State Primary Teachers’ Association, however, expressed scepticism about the implementation of the directives. “The newly printed textbooks are quite heavy, and the directives may not be followed if students have to bring all subject books to school. The education department should consider the weight of textbooks during printing,” he said.
