Telangana: In a move aimed at reducing the burden on students, the Telangana School Education Department has planned to lighten school bags by a substantial 25 per cent starting from the upcoming academic year. The initiative responds to mounting concerns regarding the physical strain faced by growing children due to hefty school bags.

To achieve this, the department intends to decrease the thickness of textbook paper from the current 90 Grams per Square Metre (GSM) to 70 GSM. This reduction in paper thickness is estimated to decrease the weight of school bags by 25 to 30 per cent across various classes. For instance, preliminary assessments indicate that Class X textbooks, currently weighing approximately 4.5 kilograms, may shed around one kilogram following the reduction in paper thickness.

Beyond easing the load for students, this initiative is anticipated to yield significant cost savings for the department. The reduction in paper procurement, estimated to drop from 11,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes, is expected to result in savings of approximately Rs 30 to Rs 40 crore. In the previous academic year (2023-24), the government spent Rs 150 crore on providing free textbooks to students in government and local body schools.

Under the free component for the upcoming academic year, around 2 crore textbooks will be distributed to 24.66 lakh students enrolled in government and local body schools. The proposal which is reportedly pending for State government approval, not only aims to reduce the weight and cost of school bags but also aligns with eco-friendly practices. The initiative supports the ongoing discourse on environmental conservation by curtailing the excessive use of raw paper materials.