Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26: The Kerala government will hold a meeting on November 24 to discuss measures to reduce the weight of school bags carried by students. The proposed steps include changes in textbook printing, paper quality and distribution methods.
Kerala General Education Minister N Samsudheen announced the meeting while responding to a petition submitted by K K Valsaraj. The petition highlighted the difficulties faced by high school students due to the excessive weight of their school bags.
The minister said the issue was already under consideration by the General Education Department and had been discussed at an earlier meeting.
One of the key proposals is to print textbooks with lessons arranged on a monthly or half-yearly basis. This would allow students to carry only the books required for a particular period instead of taking all their textbooks to school every day.
The department is also exploring the use of lighter paper for textbook printing to further reduce the overall weight of school bags.
The November 24 meeting will examine these proposals and consider other possible solutions to ease the burden on students. The government aims to identify practical measures that can make school bags lighter and improve students’ daily school experience.
