KP Becomes First Province to Limit the Weight of Students’ School Bags

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) cabinet, in its meeting today, has unanimously approved the KP School Bags Act 2019 which limits the weight of the bags of the students.

With that, KP has become the first province to introduce any law regarding the weight of the school bags.

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In November 2019, KP’s Education Department had submitted the School Bags Act in the provincial cabinet secretariat.

Here are all the permissible weights of school bags for all classes.

According to Section 4(1) of the School Bags Act, schools will be required to ensure the availability of lockers and cupboards where students can store books and additional belongings.

Schools are bound to provide lockers and cupboards for students up to 12th grade. This will help give space to students inside centers of learning where they can keep their books and other extra-curricular belongings.

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KP government will set up an independent monitoring cell to ensure compliance with the law. In case of violation, a fine of Rs. 200,000 will be imposed on the school administration.

Section 7 of the School Bags Act states:

In the case of violation, principals and other faculty of the schools will be taken to task. If schools disarm the law, they will be fined Rs. 200,000 each.

While the act has recommended making textbooks and notebooks from lighter materials in the future, it has also called on the educational institutions to frequently organize awareness campaigns regarding the consequences of excessively heavy school bags.