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JKSCWR advisory for capping weight of school bags, students’ safety

Kashmir Times. Dated: 10/20/2019 1:33:55 PM

SRINAGAR, Oct 19: Vasundhara Pathak Masoodi, Chairperson, Jammu & Kashmir State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights (JKSCWCR) Saturday issued an advisory for the School Education department for ensuring the safety, security, health and hygiene of students in school premises and during to and fro travel.
The Commission, being a statutory body working for safeguarding women and child rights in Jammu and Kashmir, in its advisory has given thrust on capping on weight of school bags, health, hygiene, transportation, safety and security of students.
The Commission in its advisory has recommended that the heavy weight of school bag are seriously taking a toll on the mental and physical health (especially spine) of students. The Commission, prescribing a limit of weight of school bags of students, has fixed different limits for different classes which includes 1/1.5 kgs for class 1st and 2nd, 2/3 kgs from class 3rd to 5th, 4 kgs for class 6th and 7th, 4.5 kgs for class 8th and 9th and 5 kgs for class 10th. The students should not be asked to carry extra material or additional books to school for whatsoever purpose, the advisory recommends and cautions that the recognition of such private schools be revoked that are found in violation of prescribed norms/ limits of school bag weight.
The Advisory recommends “Every educational institution should have health clinic with provision of medicos, para-medicos, first-aid, medicines, basic medical equipments, sanitary napkins and during winter classrooms must be equipped with heating appliances that do not pose danger to students in any manner. In order to safeguard the interest of students especially teenagers and adolescents, the administration of educational institutions and police authorities must ensure that there is no sale of tobacco/ tobacco products within 500 yards of such institutions”.
The advisory further recommends “In order to ensure that students do not fall victim to water borne disease, every educational institution (government/private) must ensure to provide clean and purified drinking water with installation of water purifier. The toilets in the school must have an attendant. There should be a female attendant in toilets for toddlers and girls. The school should be cleaned/swept and mopped with disinfectant on daily basis”.
“The school administration should ensure that there should be availability of adequate number of fire extinguishers and other material (sand etc) used to douse the fire in case of fire incident in school. Except toilets, the school premises including classrooms, corridors, canteen and parking space should have CCTV cameras to monitor safety of school children within and areas surrounding school premises. No unauthorized person should be allowed to enter in the school premises (including the ground) and any movement of an unauthorized or a suspicious person should be reported without fail. The social interaction of children with driver or other staff of school vehicle should be restricted to bare minimum and drivers or other staff associated with school vehicle should not be allowed to enter the main building of the school. Besides, the drivers, other staff associated with schools vehicles and the peons should not be allowed to use the toilets that are being used by the students,” the advisory recommended.
Issuing advisory on boarding/ de-boarding and transportation of children from school vehicles, the Commission strongly recommended for installation of GPS and CCTV, mandatory police verification of drivers and assisting staff in such vehicles.