Srinagar: The four member committee constituted to suggest measures for reducing weight of school bags of school-going children has submitted its report to the government.

The report, sources said was submitted in last week of October to the school education department for further and necessary action.

“The report was submitted to government before shifting of darbar offices to Jammu. It was submitted for further processing by the Department for its implementation in schools,” the source said.

He said the committee headed by secretary JK Board of School Education (BOSE) Veena Pandita, besides its other members including former Principal Nusrat Andrabi, ex principal Abdul Jabbar and noted academician A G Madhosh, was constituted in last week of August.

“The committee was supposed to submit its report within one month but it took two months to submit its report,” the official said.

In their report, the committee has called for various interventions to be taken by the private schools to reduce weight of school bags.

“Schools should introduce single book system containing chapters of English, Maths and Urdu with prescribed syllabus,” the committee has suggested.

“Schools should also provide integrated workbook to students for doing class work.”

The committee in its recommendation report has suggested that parents should purchase low weight school bags for their children whose weight should not exceed beyond 1.5 kilograms.

The committee has suggested to divide a session into four quarters and syllabus be divided into semesters for the students from 3rd primary to 5th class.

“Students should use quarter wise combined form of books. It will reduce weight of school bags being carried by small school going children,” it reads.

For upper primary classes, the committee has suggested to print term wise text books in combined form.

“Students will carry combined books in their bags besides combined note books for doing class work on term basis,” the committee in its long report has suggested.

However, the government is yet to take a decision on the report submitted by the committee to reduce weight of students’ school bags.

Guest