Manipur Government's 'No School Bag Day' a hit among students, parents

Manipur Government’s decision to announce every working Saturday as ‘No School Bag Day’ has been met with positive response from students, parents and school authorities alike. As per media reports, under the government’s 'No School Bag Day' initiative, school students from class 1 to class 8 in the government, government-aided as well as private schools have been recused from carrying school bags. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh lauded state’s education department for implementing such an innovative and student-friendly scheme. "The world is changing so fast, we must give some liberty to children. After due consideration, the education department took the decision," Chief Minister N Biren Singh told ANI.

Why No School Bag Day?

As per the official update, the Manipur Government decided to implement No School Bag Day in primary schools of the state keeping in mind the physical and mental effects of carrying heavy school bags. The initiative is also aimed at addressing the inconveniences, health problems and discomforts that school students go through due to school bags. Additionally, it will also help make schools develop a conducive and joyful environment where learning can also be fun. Additionally, this drive is also aimed at helping schools adopt new and innovative learning methods that go beyond textbooks and help promote skill-based education among the students.

Schools to organize co-curricular activities

As part of No School Bag Day on every working Saturday, Government schools have been directed by the education department to organize co-curricular activities that can aid learning processes. Schools have been asked to arrange games, and sports, recreational activities as part of the campaign to make school campus a joyous and conducive environment for learning. Schools have also been instructed to look into personality development of the students during formative years through extra-curricular activities.

Similar Schemes in Other States

In recent past, many state governments have launched several initiatives to address the issue of School Bags for students. Among similar campaigns, Odisha Government has launched a rule to limit weight of school bags carried by school students while Rajasthan Government has launched a pilot project that aims to reduce weight of school bags by 2/3rd.