The Hindu : Kerala News : CBSE schools support move for lighter bags

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 19, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

CBSE schools support move for lighter bags

By Our Staff Reporter

Too heavy a burden...

KOCHI, JULY 18. The Kerala CBSE Schools Management Association has decided to support the initiative to reduce the weight of schoolbags used by children at the kindergarten level.

The Association has accepted the proposal made by the Indian Academy of Paediatricians to limit the maximum weight of a schoolbag used by children at the kindergarten level to 200 gm.

The Association chairman, T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan, said that school managements would try to create awareness among parents about the need to use weightless bags. He said that the managements would request the parents to follow the guidelines given by paediatricians on the use of bags with lesser weight.

Meanwhile, the association has opposed the guidelines issued by the Regional Transport Authority not to carry students more than the number stipulated in the permit for school vehicles. The Association has requested the Government to reconsider its directive to install speed governors in school buses.

The association has also urged the CBSE authorities to establish a regional office of the board in Kerala.

A general body meeting of the Association held here on Saturday re-elected T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan of Al-Ameen School, Edapally, as the president of the Association. Raju Davis of Holy Grace Academy, Mala, was elected secretary and Fr. K.V. Paulose of Good Shepherd School, Changanassery, treasurer. C.V. Paul of Nav Nirman Public School, Kochi, will be the working president of the association.

Recommendation

The Cochin branch of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics had earlier recommended that the maximum weight of a schoolbag for students in kindergartens should not exceed 200 gm.

The Academy had recommended schoolbags for the kindergarten level with the following dimensions: height - 27 cm, width - 24 cm and breadth - 8.5 cm. The bag will have two compartments and space for holding a water bottle. Paediatricians have suggested that the bag be made of thin nylon material.

The recommendations of the Academy's Cochin chapter were discussed at a meeting attended by its members and Principals of 12 schools in the city on Saturday. The Principals accepted the proposal to reduce the weight of schoolbags. The meeting proposed that the new bags would be named `KG bags'. The design of the new bag proposed by the Academy was displayed at the meeting.

Satchidananda Kamath, national executive committee member of the Academy, said the recommendations would be sent to the school managements for final approval. He said the new design of the schoolbag was selected from 15 models submitted by various bag manufacturers. Dr. Kamath said that eight models were short-listed for final selection.

Abraham K. Paul, coordinator of the pre-primary education programme of the Academy, said that children in the kindergarten level were now using bags weighing around 450 gram.

The total weight of the bag with books, lunch and snack boxes and water bottle is estimated at 4 kg, he said. Dr. Paul said that the Academy had suggested that the total weight of bags used by children in the kindergarten level should not exceed one kg. The introduction of the new bag would help achieve this goal. The Academy has estimated that the price of the proposed bag would be less than Rs.100.

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