Kerala plans lighter school bags, classrooms without 'backbenchers'

Students trudging to school burdened with a heavy backpack and the presence of 'backbenchers', often associated with children who don't engage in studies, were accepted scenarios in the education sector, but maybe not for long in Kerala.

A draft report proposing a reduction in weight of school bags and creating classrooms without 'backbenchers' has been approved by the State Curriculum Steering Committee, General Education Minister V Sivankutty has said in a statement.

According to him, the aim behind the proposals is to ensure the physical and mental happiness of children by reducing the weight of the bags they carry to school and to create a learning environment without 'backbenchers' as part of "democratisation" of classrooms.

The minister further said that the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) was tasked to study these proposals in detail and the draft report prepared by it has been approved by the committee.

Sivankutty, in the statement, said it has been decided to invite public comments on the draft report to ensure the participation of the entire society in the education process.

For this, the report will be made available on the SCERT website and teachers, parents, students and the general public can submit their comments and suggestions on the issue till January 20, he said.

He further said that the Department of General Education aims to implement these changes in schools in the coming academic year, taking into account the suggestions received from the public.

These changes will help make our schools more child-friendly and democratic, the minister said.