Class II student Sadiya Zareen no longer needs to carry a load of 8-9kg to school as the CBSE has suggested measures to lighten schoolbags across classes.

"She carries eight books, as many copies and four extra homework copies, weighing around 8kg to school," said Hafizur Rab, Sadiya's father, a teacher himself. "Often Sadiya complains about backache. So we make it a point to carry her schoolbag till her school bus."

The CBSE has waived homework for Class I and II pupils, reaffirming an earlier instruction from 2004: children need not bring schoolbags in classes I and II; the schools should keep their bags, containing their textbooks and workbooks.

The circular, issued on September 12, adds these children should be spared homework, which forces them to carry bags to school. The schools have been asked to make necessary arrangements so that students up to Class II can deposit their books in the schools.

But sources claim most city schools have chosen to flout the 2004 directive and similar ones issued later.

"In fact, all private schools refer different books of various publications according to their choice and most of them do not have facilities for depositing books at their institution," said a source.

An official at the CBSE regional office, wishing not to be quoted, said: "In the recent directive, CBSE has asked schools to make adequate arrangement for safe drinking water so that students need not bring water bottles to schools. Institutions have also been asked to design weekly timetables in a way so that students bring minimum number of textbooks to school. It is expected that all the schools would abide by the directive."

"The head office has not instructed us for punishing any school which does not abide by the directive," the official, however, added. Notre Dame Academy teacher Abha Choudhary claimed the school has already implemented the earlier CBSE directive of reducing the bag-load of students.

"Students of classes I and II only bring one or two copies along with a water bottle in their bags. As far as books are concerned, we have already deposited their books at school."

Parents are all for the "light schoolbags" directive.

"At present, it seems like children are carrying a small library with them to school, in the form of heavy schoolbags," said Seema Kumari, whose son Adarsh Anand is a Class I student of DAV-BSEB. "The schools should understand that carrying heavy bags cause the children physical problems too."

Doctors agreed. "Heavy bags can not only cause muscle pain, back pain, shoulder pain, fatigue, but in some cases also cause dislocation of the spinal cord. There could be adverse affect on the child if s/he carries such bags for a prolonged period," said Patna physician V.P. Sinha.