No Backbenchers, No Heavy Schoolbags: Kerala Govt To Bring Reforms To Make Schools 'Child-Friendly'

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government's State Curriculum Steering Committee has approved the draft report on measures to reduce school bag weight and eliminate 'back benchers', said the state General Education and Labour Minister V Sivankutty.

As part of implementing two major reforms aimed at bringing qualitative changes in the state's general education sector, the proposed measures focus on reducing the weight of school bags to ensure the physical and mental well-being of students, and creating a classroom environment without 'back benchers' as part of the democratisation of classrooms, according to an official statement on Thursday.

Earlier, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) had been entrusted with studying these proposals in detail. Based on this, reports were prepared and discussed in detail at today's State Curriculum Steering Committee meeting. The committee subsequently approved the draft report.

To ensure broader social participation in the education process, the draft report has been placed on public consultation. The report will be made available on the SCERT website. Teachers, parents, students and the general public can submit their suggestions and opinions on the proposals until January 20.

After considering public feedback, the General Education Department aims to implement these changes in schools from the start of the next academic year. The Minister said that these reforms would help make schools more child-friendly and democratic.

On the other hand, six States and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Kerala, have yet to implement the 6-year minimum age criterion for admission to Class 1.

As many as 30 states and UTs have already aligned their admission norms with the policy, sources told ANI.

In 2023, the education ministry issued a directive to states and UTs to admit students to Class 1 only at the age of "6+" years, instead of the earlier practice of "5+" years, as per the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Some states continue to follow disparate age criteria for Class 1 admissions.

"The policy is very clear. Admission to Grade I has to be at six years of age, and States and UTs have been asked to strictly align their admission norms accordingly," a source said.

"So far, 30 states and UT have implemented the rule, but Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puduchery, Kerala and Chhattisgarh have not implemented the directives yet," the source added.

The age criterion is based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which places children aged three to eight in the foundational stage of schooling. Under the revised 5+3+3+4 structure, the foundational stage includes three years of pre-school education followed by two years of primary schooling.

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