Bhubaneswar: Acting on the directive of the HRD Ministry, the Odisha government on Tuesday began the exercise of checking the weight of bags in the English Medium schools with the formation of three special squads in Khurda district.
As decided, the squads will conduct surprise visits to schools after September 11 and conduct random checking of school bags. If a student is found carrying more than the prescribed weight, action will be taken against the school authorities.
In a letter to all the states and Union Territories in November last year, the HRD Ministry had asked them to formulate guidelines to regulate the teaching of subjects and the weight of school bags. It had also asked the principals and headmasters not to assign homework to the students of Class I and II.
The ministry had made it clear that the weight of the school bag should not exceed 1.5 kg for children of Class I and II, 2-3 kg for children of Class III, IV and V, 4 kg for students of Class VI and VII, 4.5 kg for the students of Class VIII and IX and 5 kg for Class X students.