Court asks JK govt to come up with policy on Heavy School Bags

The burden of heavy school bags on children in Jammu and Kashmir may finally ease. The high court has asked the education department to come up with a policy on this within three months, after a petition was filed by an undergraduate student.

“When I was in class 3rd or 4th I went through the same problem these students are facing. At my time there were heavy school bags weighing about 5 kg – now it’s 6 kg,” said the petitioner, Badr-u-Duja.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice N Paul Vasathakumar has asked the education department to consider the petitioner’s suggestions which include smart classes and the help of technology for teaching. The government says it will abide by the court orders.

“We are having a state specific educational policy and I think we should be able to address this issue. This is a good reminder from high court and we must take this into consideration,” said Naeem Akhtar, Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister.

The petitioner also quoted an official survey in Maharashtra that says 58 per cent children below 10 years of age suffer from orthopaedic ailments due to heavy school bags.

While the high court order has given a new hope that burden of heavy school bags may finally be reduced, it’s certainly not going to be an easy task for the education department to come up with a new school bag that doesn’t weigh on students and also on their educational standards.