School bags should not be more than 10% of the body weight of students across std I to X and there should be no homework till class II, states ‘Policy on School Bad 2020’ of the Union Ministry of Education. They should be light weight with two padded and adjustable straps that can squarely fit on both shoulders and no wheeled carried should be allowed. The policy even recommends that the weight of each text book may come printed on them by the publishers.
The recommendations have been arrived based on various survey and studies conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
The Policy on School bag 2020 made 11 recommendations on the weight of the bags, including adequate good quality mid-day meal and potable water to all the students so that they need not carry lunch boxes or water bottles.
The policy said there should be no bags in pre-primary. Recommending that total study time should be accounted for while planning the syllabus, the policy said while there should be no homework up to class II and a maximum of two hours per week for classes III to V, homework duration for class VI to VIII should not exceed one hour a day for classes IX and above.
