SOP on School Bags Weight Management in AP Schools - 10% of Body Weight Rule, New Home Work Guidelines Rc.No.ESE02/564/2022-SCERT. The Ideal School Bag Weight SOP has been issued by the Director of School Education, Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati, through Rc.No.ESE02/564/2022-SCERT dated 10-11-2026, for implementing the School Bag Policy 2020 in all schools of the state.
The proceedings, supported by the SCERT AP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for School Bag Weight Management, explain the class-wise recommended school bag weight for Pre-primary to Class XII, the 10% of body weight rule, the No Bag Day every Saturday for Classes I to IX, the homework guidelines as per NEP 2020, and the roles of DEOs, MEOs, headmasters, teachers, parents and students in reducing the school bag burden. Read the complete text below and download the official AP school bag weight proceedings PDF.
📌 Overview & Summary of the Proceedings SOP on School Bags Weight Management
- Issued by: Smt. Thameem Ansariya A, IAS, Director of School Education, Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati.
- Proceedings: Rc.No.ESE02/564/2022-SCERT, Dated 10-11-2026 (Most Urgent).
- Subject: Reducing the weight of the school bag – guidelines and SOP for implementing the ideal school bag weight.
- Purpose: Excessive bag weight is a major concern for the health and learning of children. The School Bag Policy-2020 is to be implemented in all schools in the state.
- Key measures already taken: merged textbooks, semester system (Sem-1 June–October, Sem-2 November–March), subject-wise period allocation, and No Bag Day on every Saturday for Classes I to IX.
- Weight limit: bag weight must be not more than 10% of the child’s body weight. Recommended range is from 1.6 kg (Classes I–II) up to 5 kg (Classes XI–XII); no school bag for Pre-primary.
- Homework: none for Classes I–II; up to two hours a week for Classes III–V; up to one hour a day for Classes VI–VIII; up to two hours a day for Secondary and Higher Secondary.
- Monitoring: digital weighing machine in every school, monthly audit by the Head of Institution, School Bag Weight Register, and a District-level committee under the DEO.
- Action: RJDs and DEOs must circulate the guidelines and SOP to all managements and field functionaries and implement them in letter and spirit.
🏛️ Proceedings of the Director of School Education, Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati
Rc.No.ESE02/564/2022-SCERT
Dated: 10-11-2026
Sub
School Education – SCERT – AP – Reducing weight of School Bag – Certain Guidelines and Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) for implementation of the ideal School Bag weight – Orders Issued – Reg.
Ref
- Guidelines issued by the Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD, GoI under ‘School Bag Policy-2020’.
- No.ESE02-21021/106/2020-SCERT – Minutes of the meeting conducted by the Director, School Education, a brainstorming session through VC on the Policy on School Bag on 11.12.2020 at 12 Noon.
- Proc.Rc.No. ESE02/564/2022-SCERT dt: 19.08.2022 of the Commissioner of School Education, A.P., Amaravati.
In continuation of the orders issued in the reference 3rd read above, all the Regional Joint Directors of School Education and District Educational Officers in the state are informed that excessive school bag weight has been identified as a major concern affecting the health and learning experience of children.
They are further informed that the school bag is a common cause of backache in school-going children. A heavy bag may cause a child to compensate by leaning his body forward, and this can strain muscles in his neck, shoulders and back. The child may also find it difficult to put the bag on and take it off, or he falls frequently in school while carrying his schoolbag. Further, various international organisations have recommended the weight of school bags in relation to the body weight from time to time and recommended that backpack weight should not exceed 5–10 per cent of the child’s body weight.
They are further informed that it is decided to implement the ‘School Bag Policy-2020’ in all schools in Andhra Pradesh State. As a part of the above policy, the following measures have been taken by the Department of School Education:
- The merging of textbooks was implemented to reduce the weight of students’ books. For classes I and II, all subjects are combined into a single book. For classes III to V, there is one book for all language subjects and another book for all non-language subjects. In classes VI to IX, there is one book for all language subjects, while Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies are each provided as separate books.
- Additionally, the semester system (Sem-1, June to October & Sem-2, November to March) has been adopted to reduce the stress and burden on the children considerably, as they have to carry only half of the books.
- Subject-wise period allocation & weightage for all classes I to X included in the academic calendar, to guide the heads of the schools to design a suitable timetable for their schools by keeping the ‘School Bag Policy-2020’ in mind.
- ‘NO BAG DAY’ has been introduced for the students of classes I to IX on every Saturday, to provide students with a balanced mix of academic reinforcement, extracurricular engagement, and holistic development, besides reducing the burden of bag weight on the students.
📋 Guidelines for Implementation
In this connection, the following guidelines are issued for implementation.
- The school should design the timetable by taking the ‘School Bag Policy – 2020’ into consideration and ensure that students carry a minimum amount of weight to school.
- Experiential learning, which is also recommended by the NEP-2020, can help students grasp concepts much faster than long hours of study. Project work plays a vital role in learning; students collect the materials in and around their surroundings, so they do not need to carry books with them. The teacher should be encouraged to use these kinds of teaching methods.
- No homework should be given for classes 1 & 2.
- For classes 3 to 5 the workbooks are curriculum-based; students can write their homework directly on the pages of the workbooks and return it to teachers at school.
- Homework should be given in such a way that it should not become a burden for students to carry too many books for Classes 6 to 10.
- Homework should be given on a daily basis by allotting particular days for each subject, which can reduce the number of books to be carried.
- Allow the students to use long notebooks on both sides for two different subjects in High Schools.
- The teachers should specify the subjects to teach in the class and see that they carry only the books that are required for that day, so that it will become a habit for the students to carry them accordingly.
- Semester-wise textbooks are only to be carried by the students in their bags. Once the assessment for Semester-I is completed, ensure that they carry only Semester-II books. However, SA-II will be in 2 semesters.
- Wherever possible, the Head teacher/teachers should find a secure place to keep the books in boxes/shelves in the classroom/school itself.
- Wherever possible, workbooks, assignments, dictionaries, reference books, practice materials etc., are to be kept in the school itself.
- Encourage the students to bring only the prescribed books to school as per the timetable.
- From time to time, the Head Teacher and the respective teachers must ensure the school bag weight should not be more than the weight mentioned in the ‘School Bag Policy-2020’.
Besides the above guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for regulation, monitoring, and implementation of the School Bag Weight Policy are also issued herewith. The same are appended to this proceedings in the Annexure.
Therefore, all the Regional Joint Directors of School Education and District Educational Officers in the state are requested to disseminate the above guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures to all the management of schools & field-level functionaries and ensure that the same are implemented in letter and spirit without any deviation.
Encl: SOP (School Bag Weight Management)
Thameem Ansariya A, I.A.S
Director of School Education
📘 Annexure – Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): School Bag Weight Management in Schools
State Council of Educational Research and Training
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP)
School Bag Weight Management in Schools
Excessive school bag weight has been identified as a major concern affecting the health and learning experience of children. Therefore, the following Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are to be communicated for implementation.
The school education system needs to have faith in the child’s agency. Children are natural learners. They learn more when they are stress free and are in a conducive learning environment. Learning under pressure makes them anxious and lose interest in learning. Their day-to-day life experiences, voices, questions, etc., need to be given adequate space in the classroom and new learning needs to be built upon that. This will make them understand the required concepts rather than rote memorising.
Once the school system shifts from textbook dominated culture to learner-centric competence-based culture, the problem of heavy bags will automatically be addressed. Various surveys and classroom transaction-process studies conducted from time to time have revealed that the schoolbag is heavy and textbook and teacher talk dominate in the classroom.
The school bag is a common cause of backache in school-going children. A heavy bag may cause a child to compensate by leaning his body forward and this can strain muscles in his neck, shoulders and back. The child may also find it difficult to put the bag on and take it off, or he falls frequently in school while carrying his schoolbag.
Various international organisations have recommended the weight of school bag in relation to the body weight from time to time and recommended that backpack weight should not exceed 5–10 per cent of the child’s bodyweight.
1. Title
Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for Regulation and Monitoring of School Bag Weight.
Cambridge English Dictionary defines school bag as “A bag that is used for carrying books, etc., for school, usually with a long strap and carried over the shoulder, or carried on the back like a backpack.”
2. Objectives
- To ensure safe and healthy school bag weight for students
- To reduce physical strain and health risks among children
- To implement recommendations of NEP 2020 and Yashpal Committee (1993)
- To promote joyful, stress-free learning
3. Policy Basis
3.1 NEP 2020 & School Bag Policy 2020, The Children’s School Bag (Limitation on Weight) Bill, 2006, Reduction of weight of school bag — need for strict compliance, guidelines issued by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan on 29.12.2009
- School bag weight should not exceed 10% of student’s body weight
- Emphasis on reducing curriculum load and textbook weight
- Introduction of bag less days (Class 1–9) under NO Bag Day for experiential learning
- No homework up to Class II
3.2 Yashpal Committee (1993) – Learning Without Burden
- Reduce curriculum overload
- Shift from rote learning to conceptual learning
- Avoid unnecessary textbooks and materials
- Promote child-centred education
4. Scope
Applicable to:
- All classes (Pre-primary to Class X / XII)
- All school stakeholders (Students, Teachers, Administrators, Parents)
5. Standard Weight Guidelines
| Class Level | Recommended Bag Weight |
|---|---|
| Pre-primary | No school bag |
| Classes I–II | 1.6 – 2.2 kg |
| Classes III–V | 1.7 – 2.5 kg |
| Classes VI–VII | 2 – 3 kg |
| Class VIII | 2.5 – 4 kg |
| Classes IX–X | 2.5 – 4.5 kg |
| Classes XI–XII | 3.5 – 5 kg |
6. Roles and Responsibilities
6.1 District Educational Officer
- Provide detailed guidelines and SOPs to all educational institutions in his/her jurisdiction.
- Constitute a District-level committee to monitor school bag weight.
- Conduct review meetings with MEOs and other stakeholders.
6.2 Deputy Educational Officer / Mandal Educational Officer
- Provide orientation to all school heads on the strict implementation of the school bag weight policy.
- Observe implementation of the school bag weight policy during regular school inspections.
- Instruct all school heads to prepare a quality timetable, including bag-less hours.
6.3 School Management
- Provide a digital weighing machine in the school
- Ensure Almirahs/lockers/storage facilities to keep their books in school.
- Provide drinking water to reduce the bottle load
- Form a School Bag Monitoring Committee
6.4 Head of Institution
- Ensure compliance with SOP
- Conduct monthly audits of bag weight
- Display weight charts in classrooms
- Ensure that teachers follow the timetable strictly.
6.5 Teachers
- Inform students about the daily required books in advance
- Avoid prescribing extra books/guides
- Design smart timetables to minimise load
- Check bags periodically
- Avoid duplication of homework.
6.6 Parents
- Observe the school timetable and books carried by their wards.
- Ensure the child carries only the required materials
- Avoid adding extra notebooks/books
- Encourage proper bag usage (both shoulders)
- Observe whether the child may be suffering from physical disorders.
6.7 Students
- Follow the timetable strictly
- Avoid carrying unnecessary items
7. Operational Procedures
7.1 Daily Practices
- Students carry only subject-specific books as per the timetable
- Teachers verify compliance during class
7.2 Weekly Monitoring & Monthly Audit
- Random bag weight checks
- Record observations in the monitoring register
- Weigh the sample students’ bags
- Compare with 10% body weight rule
- Report deviations to the school head
8. Academic Load Reduction Measures
- Limit the number of textbooks per subject
- Integrate subjects (as suggested in NEP) – Bilingual Merged Text books
- Promote activity-based learning
- Introduce digital/worksheet-based learning
- Ensure the implementation of No Bag Days as outlined in the Academic Calendar.
- Encourage bag-less days and experiential activities.
9. Infrastructure Requirements
- Digital weighing machine
- Classroom storage/lockers
- Lightweight textbooks
- Drinking water facilities
10. Safety Guidelines
Bags must have:
- Two padded shoulder straps
- Proper compartments
- No single-shoulder carrying
- Avoid trolley bags (unsafe on stairs)
- Storage facility for Differently Abled students
11. Monitoring & Compliance
- Maintain School Bag Weight Register
- Conduct surprise inspections
- Non-compliance to be addressed through: Teacher guidance, Parent counselling and Timetable revision
12. Expected Outcomes
- Reduced physical strain and back problems
- Improved student well-being
- Enhanced learning experience
- Alignment with NEP 2020 vision of holistic education
13. Homework
| Level | Maximum Homework |
|---|---|
| Primary | No homework up to Class II |
| Classes III–V | A maximum of two hours a week |
| Middle School (Classes VI–VIII) | A maximum of one hour a day (about five to six hours a week) |
| Secondary and Higher Secondary | A maximum of two hours a day (about 10 to 12 hours a week) |
14. Conclusion
This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aligns with NEP 2020’s vision of reducing academic burden and the Yashpal Committee’s call for “Learning Without Burden.” By systematically managing school bag weight, schools can ensure a healthier, more engaging, and child-friendly learning environment.
