Schools continue to burden children with heavy bags, flouting the guidelines of National Council of Educational Research and Training and Central Board of Secondary Education.

Several attempts by the education boards in this regard and complaints from parents could not stop the schools from instructing the children to carry large number of workbooks and textbooks according to requirements.

Section 29 of the Right of Education (RTE) Act, 2010, states that the weight of school bags must be reduced to ease the burden on students. Five years after the RTE Act came into force, the children still have to carry heavy school bags.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) prescribed in National Curriculum Framework (NCF) only two textbooks - English and Math - for Class I and II students and three textbooks, including environmental science, for students of classes III to V. However, no school follows these guidelines.

Right to Information activist Nikhil Kumar said: "According to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) guidelines, the schools were directed that no students from Nursery to Class II are required to bring bags and all the books should be kept in schools itself. It also states that no homework should be given to students till Class II. These rules are flouted by schools in the city."?

However, the schools do not agree with the guidelines laid by the education boards. Father Peter Arockiasamy, the principal of St Michael's High School, said: "Only English and Math textbooks are not enough for students of classes I and II. Computer science, Hindi and moral studies are also important. If they are not given homework, they will not learn new things. We help children to become an intellectual person and the base is important. Anyways, I do not think the school bags weight exceed more than 3-4 kg."

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan across India stipulates that school bags for classes I and II should not weigh more than 2kg. For classes III and IV, the bag weight should be less than 3kg and those studying in classes V to VIII should not carry bags weighing more than 4kg. The upper limit for classes IX to XII students has been set at 6kg.

However, the district schools of the Sanghathan do not follow the guidelines.

Parents protest the school administration for adding more books, including that of the optional subjects. Renuka Sinha, a mother of two, said: "I have two sons who study in UKG and Class II. I am always worried about the heavy bags they have to carry to school. In the morning, I carry both their bags to the bus stop. I even spoke to the school administration and requested them to reduce the school baggage."

Another parent Shubham Jaiswal said: "Last year my daughter was in Class I and she had to carry a heavy bag. This year she got promoted to Class II and got three more additional books - computer, environmental science and moral science - apart from few writing books. I am worried that how she will carry her bag. I suggest her to carry only one writing copy so that she does not develop backache or neck pain."

Dr Arun Kumar Thakur expressed concern about the large numbers of children who visit his clinic. He said: "Today children are facing several problems of headaches, neck pains, back strain, rounded hunched posture, dropped shoulders and even occupational overuse syndrome or a curvature of the spine. Healthy young children should not have to be burdened with discomfort and pain."?