Getting the load off pupils
> Report on weight of school bags study to be released next month
JOHOR BARU: A report on the “School Pupil Bag Weight Evaluation Study” that is being conducted will be released in one month, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan.
He said the process of gathering information had been initiated by the State Education Department and the District Education Office of several states, Bernama reported.
“Once that is done, the information will be sent to the ministry to be tabled before Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.”
The study is aimed at finding solutions to the issue of heavy school bags, and headmasters and teachers have been asked to allow their pupils to carry only the books they need daily.
“Based on my observations, these heavy bag cases are less likely to occur in Tamil national schools and some of these issues are not caused by heavy book load but the use of school bags with wheels, so we must scrutinise this,” he said after opening SJKT Ladang Bukit Serampang yesterday.
In another development, Kamalanathan said 12 out of the 37 Tamil national schools outlined in the 2012 Special Plan Package had been completed and were already in use.
“Twelve more have been completed and are waiting for the Certificate of Completion and Compliance from local authorities while the remaining 13 are in various stages of construction.”
Kamalanathan said the total cost of construction of the 37 schools was RM216 million and were undertaken by Indian contractors.