Reducing the Bag Load on Children

As you are aware the CBSE has been taking several initiatives to make the learning process joyful to the child. The steps initiated by the Board include intoduction of Continuous and Comprehensive Evalution upto class VIII, establishment of class libraries, emphasis on soft subject lilie music, dance and fine arts, strengthening of school-based internal assessment, implementing alternatives to homework for classes III to V and making the learning of mathematics interesting through the concept of Mathematics laboratories in schools. The Board has also instructed schools to restrict the number of textbooks prescribed for students especially at the primary level. The Board has strived to spread awareness about the importance of reducing the bag and curriculum load on children.

The Board often receives reports regarding the pressure exercised in several schools on children and their parents to buy an excessive number of textbooks, The committee under the chairmanship of Professor Yashpal had also made several recommendations to reduce the curricular burden and stress on children in its report entitled ‘Learning Without Burden’. The National Curriculum Framework, 2005 has called for several curricula and systemic reforms to make children’s life at school enjoyable. One of these reforms pertains to reduction in the number of textbooks for different classes.

In spite of all these initiatives, it is unfortunate that several schools are exerting pressure on children and their parents to buy an excessive number of textbooks. This is a matter of grave concern and the CBSE would like to reiterate its stand in unequivocal terms that prescribing too many textbooks and coercing parents and children to buy them is an unhealthy and unethical practice that is educationally unsound. Hence all the affiliated schools are instructed to ensure that the number of textbooks they prescribe from class I to VIII does not exceed the number indicated in the list given below:

In the first phase new textbooks prepared by NCERT on the basis of the National Curriculum Framework 2005 have been Introduced in classes I, III, VI, IX and XI during the current academic year i.e. 2006-07. For other classes the old pattern will continue for this academic year).