Only 5000 pupils hauled heavy school bags says Maharashtra government study

  • | Tuesday | 11th December, 2018

Some disbelieving experts said it was not possible that just one per cent students carried overweight bags. Others attributed the change in textbook sizes and planning for the reduced weight of the school bags.The state government had issued a notification for lighter school bags on November 5, 2015. As many as 4,308 officials were appointed three years ago.The survey established that 98.77% students carried school bags as per the prescribed limit while 1.23% had overweight satchels. The principal and another representative would be responsible if any child was found with an overweight bag.Senior officials in the education department said special squads conducted the survey in 37 districts of Maharashtra and 88,972 schools. My experience is that most educationists are out of touch with ground realities,” Kalpande said.Spokesperson of Aam Admi Party in Pune Mukund Kirdat said, “ We see students waiting at bus stops every day with their bags hanging low on their backs indicating their load.”

PUNE: A state government survey on the weight of school bags swept under the carpet the concern and worry among parents, doctors and education experts.Only around 5,000 students had satchels over the prescribed limit, a recent study conducted by the education department shows.The survey covered 4.17 lakh students in over 23,000 government, corporation and zilla parishad schools from August till October.Educationists were divided over the results. Some disbelieving experts said it was not possible that just one per cent students carried overweight bags. Others attributed the change in textbook sizes and planning for the reduced weight of the school bags.The state government had issued a notification for lighter school bags on November 5, 2015. The principal and another representative would be responsible if any child was found with an overweight bag.Senior officials in the education department said special squads conducted the survey in 37 districts of Maharashtra and 88,972 schools. As many as 4,308 officials were appointed three years ago.The survey established that 98.77% students carried school bags as per the prescribed limit while 1.23% had overweight satchels. In Pune district , 5,030 schools and 13,950 students were surveyed and only 652 students were found to be carrying overweight bags.The 15 districts included Nashik , Nandurbar, Dhule, Nagpur, Mumbai.Former director of education Vasant Kalpande said textbooks are now bigger in size with more pages but they should not weigh down school bags if there is proper planning by the school.“Perceptions of those who don't trust the survey seem to be based on students going to private schools. My experience is that most educationists are out of touch with ground realities,” Kalpande said.Spokesperson of Aam Admi Party in Pune Mukund Kirdat said, “ We see students waiting at bus stops every day with their bags hanging low on their backs indicating their load.”

If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

₹ 10 - ₹ 1000

NYOOOZ FRIEND

₹ 2000 - ₹ 5000

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.


Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.

Related Articles
Only 5000 pupils hauled heavy school bags says Maharashtra government study
  • Tuesday | 11th December, 2018
Contactless IR Thermal Temperature Scanner with IOT Based Mobile App Launched in India
  • Wednesday | 17th June, 2020
Schaeffler India Supports the Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Monday | 18th May, 2020
Sany Donates 1 Lakh N95 Masks & 5 Lakh 3 Ply Masks to Govt of Maharashtra through MIDC
  • Monday | 18th May, 2020