`Will e-learning, thinner books, lockers lighten school bags?' - Parents Sceptical Of Schools' Efforts To Implement State Suggestions

`Will e-learning, thinner books, lockers lighten school bags?'

Parents Sceptical Of Schools' Efforts To Implement State Suggestions

The state's November 30 deadline to implement recommendations to reduce school bag weight is around the corner. Schools claim they are using innovative ways to implement the suggestions, but parents are unsure if the ground realities will change.

According to the guidelines, both parents and schools must ensure that the school bag's weight is not more than 10% of the student's weight.“We already provide for lockers so students can leave most of their books in school but to reduce the burden further, we are planning to ask them to bring only 100-page notebooks, increase use of worksheets and revise the timetable to fewer subjects each day ,“ said Chandrakanta Pathak, principal, HVB Global Academy .

Schools have been asked to increase the use of e-learning, conduct frequent checks of the weight and make play equipment available. A few schools have also been using video lessons. “We have set up a cinematic studio and help teachers make student-centric content.Students watch video books at home; classroom time is for hands-on activity. The video books are equipped with a software that requires them to answer questions as it plays to keep a check on if they are attentively watching it,“ said Lohit Sahu, director of Phyzok, which has been working with R N Podar School.

According to the recommendations, parents have to ensure that students carry on y books which are required.However, parents feel it is easier said than done. “Students are scared that the teachers will reprimand them if a book is missing so they want to carry all the books. Sometimes, teachers themsel ves ask students to carry extra bo oks,“ said Naray an Rao, father of a Class VI stu dent.

The weight added from ex added from extra-curricular ac ivities too worry parents. “Each we ek students are doing various projects and partici pating in activities that require them to carry several items apart from just books. Schools should instead ask students to do these assignments in class.This will also ensure that the parents are not doing it for them,“ said Jayshree Bhatia, a resident of Sion.

On Wednesday , the state government told the Bombay high court that principals and trustees will be responsible for complying with the recommendations to reduce the weight of school bags.

But principals feel parents are to be blamed in some cases.“We are making efforts like introducing smart boards, smaller notebooks and scanned textbooks. However, when we had a surprise check of school bags, we found students were not carrying even the basic books, but were carrying books required for tuitions,“ said Father Francis Swamy , manager, St Mary's School (ICSE). 

Source | Times of India 23 November 2015

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Pralhad Jadhav

Khaitan & Co