GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY 

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 836

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21ST NOVEMBER, 2016 

Heavy School Bags

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: 

(a) whether it is a fact that the school children in the country are burdened with heavy weight school bags; and

(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard? 

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) & (b): The Central Government has taken various steps to reduce curriculum load and the weight of school bags. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has not recommended any textbook for early childhood education. It has recommended only two books (Language and Mathematics) for classes I & II and three books for classes III to V (Language, Environmental Studies and Mathematics). The number and size of NCERT’s textbooks used by the primary and secondary school students are appropriate to their age. The Government has also launched a platform for showcasing and dissemination of all digital and digitisable resources for its stakeholders in collaboration with the NCERT. Accordingly, the NCERT has made available all their textbooks and other teaching-learning material for free access through its website www.ncert.nic.in, e-pathshala.nic.in and mobile devices.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed schools affiliated to it to ensure that students do not carry school bags till class II and also to restrict the number of books to be prescribed in classes I-VIII. In its latest circular dated 12th September, 2016, it has advised schools to take all possible measures to keep the weight of school bag under control.