Government school children appear to be carrying lighter bags than their counterparts in private schools. This emerged out of a schoolbag weighing exercise carried out by activists of the People’s Legal Forum (PLF) and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) outside the Maharani’s Government Girls High School in the city on Monday.
Baburaj P., convener of PLF, said the average of weight of schoolbags carried by 55 students of Maharani’s Government Girls High School was 5.07 kg against the average weight of students which was 41.77 kg. “This works out to12.87 per cent of their body weight, against the 20 to 30 per cent recorded while weighing bags of students in private schools,” Mr. Baburaj said. Medical experts recommend that the bags of school children should weigh no more than ten percent.
While children in government schools carry books generally printed by government presses, private schools recommend books printed by private publishers, which use thicker paper.
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Besides, private schools tend to prescribe more text books, he added.
The activists have been carrying out a campaign against heavy school bags in Mysuru by holding such exercises outside various schools in the city for the last few days.
The data collected will be collated and submitted to MPs of Mysuru region so that they can bring pressure on the Union government to bring in a piece of legislation on the issue.
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The data will also be sent to MPs of AAP to push for a Bill in the ensuing winter session of the Parliament.
“We want the government to bring in a Bill and help reduce the burden of millions of children in the country,” Mr. Baburaj added. A Bill proposed in this regard in 2006 had been shelved.