Berhampur: Students in government-run primary schools in Odisha’s Ganjam district no longer need to carry bags on Saturdays under a new initiative that comes into force later this week, an official said.
The objective of the ‘no bag day’ programme is to allow students of the clases 1 to 5 to learn in a stress-free environment, Ganjam district Collector Vijay Amrut Kulange said.
“They will be given a day-off from textbooks. On the day, the children will be allowed to grow their physical, mental and intellectual abilities,” he said.
The programme will be implemented in some selected schools in the district from Saturday and gradually, expanded to other schools, district education officer Amulya Kumar Pradhan said.
The day will also be utilised for creating awareness among the students on some initiatives taken by the district administration against child marriage, black magic and superstitious beliefs, Kulange said.
In 2019, acting on reports that the school bags of students of some English medium schools in Odisha are more than the weight prescribed by HRD ministry, the state government had ordered a thorough inspection of the schools.
In a letter to the all Districts Collectors and District Education Officers (DEOs), the School and Mass Education Department directed to check the weight of the bag of each student of all English medium schools and the books prescribed by the ministry.