Don’t give homework, schoolbags, says CBSE to Indian schools in Oman

Latest/ Oman education: Parents want kindergarten students load lessened too
Muscat: Pupils studying in Classes 1 and 2 should not carry schoolbags or be assigned home work, India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has stated in a circular to all Indian Schools in Oman.
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Wilson V. George, chairman, Board of Directors of Indian Schools, said Indian Schools in Oman will be implementing the recommendations progressively.
Regarding the date when it will be implemented, George said no date has been set.
“There are many recommendations in the circular, which need to be discussed in every school and they will take appropriate action on all the items progressively.”
There are 19 Indian Schools in Oman, with about 9,000 students studying in Classes 1 and 2.
The education board also urged schools to adopt measures to reduce the weight of school bags for secondary class students, and suggested that textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 should be lightweight.
It also advised that teachers may also be counselled by the principals to provide instructions for bringing textbooks beforehand and should not penalise students in any way for not bringing textbooks or workbooks.
“The fear of such measures may compel many students to bring most of the books/workbooks, making their bags heavy,” the circular explained.
But parents in the city have expressed doubts over the strict implementation of the CBSE directive at all its affiliated schools. Many said that while some schools were making genuine efforts to stop students from carrying heavy bags, such rules are being completely ignored at other schools.
“Sometimes students are being made to carry text books on a daily basis and that is increasingly impacting their health,” Jagdish, a parent said. The circular also stressed that heavier school bags are known to have adverse effects on the health of growing children and if such bags are used for a prolonged period, the impact may well be irreversible.
“Young children whose spines are at a crucial stage of growth are the most susceptible ones to hazards, such as back pain, muscle pain, shoulder pain, fatigue and in extreme cases the distortion of the spinal cord or shoulders that may most plausibly be attributed to heavy school bags,” the circular added.