The Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) in Karnataka has released guidelines for all schools to have a no bag day.

Schools will have no bag days on one Saturday of a month where no student will carry either textbook or notebooks to schools. The same will be called ‘Sambhrama shanivara’. On these days, the aim is to inculcate citizen awareness among children.

On these lines, on 10 different subjects, teachers have been handed out self-explanatory guidelines to be followed on these no bag days. Among the topics for discussion on these days are social responsibilities and my duty; promoting gender equality; nutrition, health and hygiene; prevention of drug abuse; leading a healthy lifestyle; safety guidelines at time of violence, crime and accidents; innovations of modern technology and safe internet usage protocols, environmental cleanliness and waste management; road safety and helping the specially abled.

“Already, as part of the Kalika Chetarike programme (programme to address learning loss), students are given activities at the end of the text. This is to encourage applied learning. Schools will be encouraged to conduct this on Saturdays when monthly get together meetings happen and the staff strength is less at schools,” the circular reads.

This decision is in lines with the National Education Policy 2020. Karnataka has been a pioneer in implementing the National Education Policy 2020. The position papers on NEP 2020 recommend that students must have no bag days at least 10 days in a year.

Among the other states, Madhya Pradesh has directed its government school to have one no bag day every week.

Also read: Maharashtra takes up initiative to reduce school bag weight