By Anissa Lamare
Education is all about gaining knowledge that makes life better. It gives us the strength to live with self-esteem and not droop under its burden. Unfortunately, our children are facing a different fate thanks to our present education system.
For today’s schoolchildren, education is literally a backbreaking affair. They have to carry the burden of books everyday and hunch while walking. The weight of school bags on tender shoulders is the sign of a weak future and most of the schools in the city are yet to change the trend.
Last year, the Ministry of Human Resource Development issued a directive stating that the weight of school bags should not exceed the prescribed limit of 1.5 kg. After much deliberations, the state Department of Education came out with a notification in February this year putting a cap on the weight of school bags for different classes.
“We have issued instructions via a notification, setting limits on the weight of school bags. This is in line with the guidelines of the Human Resource Development Ministry, keeping in mind that the weight the children carry affects their health,” says DP Wahlang, principal secretary of the Department of Education.
While many city schools are yet to ease their students’ problems, there are some institutes like Kiddies Corner which are trying to make education less of a burden.
Brian Wallang, principal of Kiddies Corner, believes the policy can highly benefit students.
Wallang says his school “always aims to minimise any kind of strain on students”.
The school, which was set up in 1978, has been taking certain measures to lessen the burden of its students. For primary students, there are only three exercise books and they have to deposit the class-work copies in school. Students have been instructed to follow the time table while packing books.
About the recent notification, Wallang says he is open to taking measures like using a weighing scale to find out the approximate load of books students carry to school.
Mon Bahadur Chettri, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Upper Shillong, informs that even before the directive, the school has been taking possible steps to reduce the stress on students.
“Since the school is under the Central Board of Secondary Education, we are directly linked to the same and hence can follow the directive more effectively,” says Chettri, adding that the directive is “very sensitive” and the school is trying its best to relieve any kind of unhealthy stress on students.
Pine Mount is among the schools which are in the process of reducing load of school bags. According to the school authority, the notification came at a time when the routine for the academic year 2019 was already set up.
“But we have had a meeting after the HRD Ministry’s rule and the institution has come up with suggestions to reduce the weight of school bags for all classes. One suggestion is to start a method of using worksheets instead of fair copies which add to the weight of the bags. The school has also cooperated with parents regarding the same to ensure that the state’s implementation can be followed and at the same time make sure that the former is okay with the decision,” the vice principal informs.
Wallang too supports the idea to introduce worksheets. He is also of the view that the state should revise the syllabi for all standards that can help reduce the load.
Principals of many renowned schools in Shillong have put forward common objectives and goals towards meeting the criteria set up by the ministry. EM Syiem, principal of All Saints’ Higher Secondary School, says the school has always been cautious while framing the routine for all classes.
“Currently, the school has seven periods in a day. However, repetitions of the main subjects throughout the week have lessened the load. Since the directive was put forward this February, the issue is being emphasised more at staff meetings,” says Syiem.
She says the school is open to suggestions to co-operate with other schools to make the directive more effective for the benefit of the children.
All Saints’ has taken up the initiative to change the routine and examination pattern by conducting exams only for the major subjects while conducting tests for minor subjects to make studying less hectic.
Moushami Sen, the vice-principal of St John’s School Whitehall, says the interest of the students is “our first priority”.
St John’s keeps the number of home tasks to two so that students can focus more on revising what has been taught in school. The institution is also open to moving to a more technology-based teaching to completely relieve students of any kind of physical stress.
Echoing Wallang, Sen says she would like the Education Department to make changes in the examination marking system and the syllabus by eliminating irrelevant content to reduce the weight to a large extent.
“For our students, however, the burden is not much as we are a boarding school. The CCTV surveillance cameras in all classes ensure that students don’t carry all their books home. Proper gradation on the content in books can help reduce the weight of books,” says Sen.
What’s the change?
Despite the state government’s notification and the schools’ suggestions, nothing much has changed at the ground level. Majority of the parents and students whom Sunday Shillong spoke to say the burden continues to trouble them and they are eagerly waiting for the respective schools to implement the directive in letter and spirit.
The parent of a Class VII student of St Mary’s Higher Secondary School says the weight of the bag remains the same and “I feel sad when I look at my daughter dragging the bag to school”.
“My children come home tired everyday and with the extra homework there is no time for them to spend time with the family,” notes a parent of two children.
Some parents are often seen carrying the bags of their wards after school as the children would be drained out of energy.
Wahlang says the policymakers have completed their duty of bringing this innovative and beneficial policy and it is the schools’ responsibility to take action.
However, policymakers should know that issuing notification is not the only responsibility and that they need to ensure proper implementation of it. Unless strict measures are taken, there will be violation of any rule.
“Being a teacher, totality matters to me. All educational institutions should come together and make an effective and sustainable difference in the educational scenario of the state,” proposes Wallang.
The government should also start surprise checks at schools and meet teachers and school authorities to chalk out a proper plan to follow the directive.
According to Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, the department is trying its best to bring about changes but “everything takes time”.
In the meantime, it is the children who have to bear the brunt of such reluctance.
Photograph: Sanjib Bhattacharjee