School Education Saga-VII: Are ‘bagless days’ turning into a burden for school heads?

Hyderabad: The state government-run schools have adopted a 10-day 'Bagless Days' in line with the School Bag Policy-2020. The State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT) provides the guiding plan that was included in the Academic Calendar for the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24, and the same has been notified for the ensuing academic year.

Speaking to The Hans India, United Teachers Federation (UTF) leader Chava Ravi said that the SCERT does not hold interaction meetings with the teachers before coming up with a syllabus for any classes. Similarly, it does not even try to elucidate the view of parents and their views and feedback from students on the textbooks they are taught.

SCERT issued a 102-page ‘activity manual’ to implement 10 Bagless Days for Classes I-X. Prepared by a 11-member teacher's team and issued by the SCERT, the activity module for the 10 Bagless Days is expected to serve as a ‘comprehensive guide, offering a variety of stimulating learning experiences such as projects, field visits, demonstrations, experiments, and role play’, says SCERT. Further, each activity within the module is designed to achieve specific Learning Outcomes (LOs) and foster skill development. Besides, it boasts that ‘students will have the invaluable opportunity to learn from and intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, and more.’

While everything is bright and colourful on the 102-page activities manual, it also asks the principal or headmaster of the school to provide physical facilities and resources for the implementation of activities for an annual work plan of the 10 bagless days.

A school headmaster from Adilabad town pointed out that the activity books place the responsibility on the headmaster to provide pencils, crayons, drawing sheets, fruits and vegetables and other things to conduct activities. He added, "There are several occasions in which teachers and headmasters have to shell from their own pockets to get things done. Because there were no special funds allocated to the schools for implementing the bagless 10 days." Further, some schools have no money even to procure chalkpieces or replace the existing blackboards, he added.