Islamabad: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) education department has decided to standardise the weight of schoolbags across the province by introducing Pakhtunkhwa School Bags Act 2019.
According to the proposed draft, the schoolbag’s weight will not be more than 15 per cent of the student’s weight.
According to the proposed draft bill which will be placed before the provincial cabinet for approval, every principal or headmaster/headmistress will channelise the scheme of study, re-introduce traditional metal and wooden slate (takhti) for rough work, while every teacher will inform students up to 8th grade in advance about books and notebooks/workbooks to be brought to school on a specific day.
According to Section 7 of the draft law the principals and teachers of such public sector schools will be dealt with under the relevant rules, while private schools will be fined up to Rs200,000 (Dh4,703) each.
Section 4(1) of the law says every school shall provide lockers and cupboards of such size in the school up to 10th grade to enable the student to keep books, notebooks and other curricular and co-curricular equipment.
Under Section 5 of the law, every school will launch awareness campaigns, issues guidelines and instructions prescribing dimensions and fabric for school bags for students up to a particular class in the prescribed manner.
A Peshawar High Court earlier in April this year showing dismay at the heavy schoolbags of schoolchildren had directed the KP government to bring in legislation within four months to curb a number of books and copies which make school bags very heavy for children.
“Growth of children seems to be getting affected by carrying such heavy school bags,” had remarked Justice Qaiser Rashid of the PHC during the hearing. “With a heavy load of books in the bags on their back, the children walk to school as they are going on commando training,” he remarked.
The court had given the direction while hearing a petition by lawyer Moamer Jamil, who had argued that carrying of heavy bags was badly affecting the physical and mental growth of students.
The directorate of curricula, directorate of elementary and secondary education, and textbook board will integrate some subject/courses to reduce weight of books, notebooks and workbooks using lighter but high quality papers and revisit scheme of study to reduce weight, said a senior official of the education department of the KP government while talking to Gulf News.