Saturday, 27 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Several private schools in Dehradun have been observed to be in violation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 which also restricts the weight of school bags. Despite the government’s efforts to raise awareness and introduce initiatives to alleviate the burden of heavy school bags on students by setting specific weight limits for each class, a recent inspection carried out by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) has revealed non-compliance with the regulations outlined in the NEP concerning the weight of school bags.
Regarding this, the chairperson of SCPCR Geeta Khanna informed that the commission conducted an unannounced inspection at a private school in Herbertpur. During the inspection, it was discovered that the weight of the students’ bags exceeded the standard, with the bags of class VIII students weighing between 10-12 kilogrammes. Khanna said that the children were unaware of the SCPCR.
Further, Khanna highlighted that the children lacked knowledge about issues such as good and bad touch and children’s rights. The level of sanitation in the school was not found to be satisfactory with severely contaminated toilets and a faulty drinking water system. Apart from this, essential items like notice boards, information boards and complaint boxes for raising awareness were notably absent from the school, she said.
