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Govt cracks down on heavy school bags, costly practices in Haryana schools
The Haryana education department announced stricter enforcement of school bag weight limits across classes and measures to curb costly practices by private schools. A directive issued to district officers outlines weight caps, inspections, and a grievance mechanism, while highlighting use of open-source resources and pre-owned books to cut costs. The move follows reports of expensive materials and viral videos before the new academic session.
Why It Matters
The steps aim to reduce students' health risks from heavy bags and lessen financial burdens on families, while enforcing norms to prevent profit-driven practices in schools.
Timeline
2 Events
Article reports enforcement plan and background details
April 20, 2026
The Hindustan Times report notes that despite advisories, private schools were found to violate provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009 and Haryana School Education Rules, 2003 by pressuring parents to buy books from specific publishers and other costly practices. Officials cited the latest directive as a move to monitor progress, with enforcement to be carried out through regular inspections and the grievance redressal mechanism. The article also mentions concerns about outdated supplementary books not aligned with NEP 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, and records encouragement of open-source resources and pre-owned books to reduce costs. It points out issues like frequent uniform changes with logos and some schools mandating water bottles instead of providing safe drinking water on campus. Saroj Dahiya, district elementary education officer, Gurugram, is quoted saying stricter enforcement will be pursued, and that no specific compliance timeline has been set.
Directive issued to enforce school bag weight limits and curb costly practices in Haryana
April 17, 2026
The Directorate of Secondary Education issued a directive to all district education officers and district elementary education officers to ensure compliance with prescribed bag-weight limits: 1.5 kg for Classes 1–2; 2–3 kg for Classes 3–5; 4 kg for Classes 6–7; 4.5 kg for Classes 8–9; and 5 kg for Class 10. The directive calls for stricter enforcement, with regular inspections by principals and district education authorities to check adherence to curriculum and bag-weight norms. A grievance redressal mechanism is to be established for parents. The letter also flags outdated or non-aligned supplementary books, encourages open-source digital resources and the use of pre-owned books to reduce costs, and highlights issues such as frequent uniform changes and vendor-specific purchases. It states that private schools should not operate as profit-driven entities and that action will be taken against violations.