A comforting decision has been made for students in government schools in the state, as the state government has given administrative approval to provide free school bags to students from grades one to eight. A fund of 165 crore rupees has been approved for this scheme. School bags will be provided as part of educational materials to students studying in schools of local self-government institutions. It is estimated that 4,143,054 students in the state will benefit from this decision. The implementation of this scheme has been initiated after the state government approved the proposal submitted by the Director of Education.
On February 13, the School Education and Sports Department announced the government decision regarding this. It has been clarified that this decision was taken in the context of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 and the National Education Policy 2020. The main objective behind this scheme is to provide students with a joyful and conducive educational environment.
Under this scheme, students from first to eighth grade in schools of local self-government bodies will be given free school bags from the new academic year. However, schools in municipal corporations where such a scheme is already implemented or where students are given separate funds for it will be excluded from this new scheme.
Meanwhile, although parents are welcoming this decision, there is an expectation that the quality of the bags should be good. There is a demand from parents and teachers that low-quality or market-standard bags should not be supplied. It is also suggested that light, durable, and quality bags should be provided considering the health of the students.
Government schools already have facilities for textbooks and midday meals. Now, with the provision of free bags, the educational expenses burden on parents will be further reduced. However, despite these facilities, there is a picture of declining enrollment in some government schools. The growing attraction of English medium schools in rural areas and the merging or closing of some schools is considered a matter of concern.
According to experts, merely providing facilities is not enough; it is also necessary to improve educational quality, availability of teachers, and infrastructure. Although the free school bag scheme will provide direct financial assistance to students, it is believed that comprehensive efforts are needed to increase trust in government schools.