Education ministry releases guidelines for 10-day bagless period for classes 6-8

New Delhi: The Union education ministry on Monday notified guidelines for implementation of bagless days for classes 6-8 and making learning in schools more joyful, experiential and stress-free.

The guidelines, developed by PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education, a unit of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), were released on the fourth anniversary of the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The NEP, 2020, had recommended that all students in classes 6-8 participate in a 10-day bagless period.

“The idea behind 10 bagless days is to make them an integral part of the teaching learning process rather than an add-on to the existing scheme of studies of education from classes 6-8. It will not only reduce the boundaries between the bookish knowledge and application of knowledge but also expose children to the skill requirements in the work areas, thus helping them to decide the future career path,” the guidelines stated.

“Every student will take a fun course during classes 6-8 that gives a survey and hands-on experience of a sampling of important vocational craft such as carpentry, electric work, metal work, gardening, pottery making, etc, as decided by states and local communities and as mapped by local skilling needs,” they added.

“Ten bagless days activities can be accommodated in any number of slots in an annual calendar. But it is advisable to keep two or three slots. While developing an annual work plan, all subject teachers may be involved. If necessary, indoor and outdoor activities may be clubbed in a day,” the guidelines stated.

Visit and survey of vegetable markets; charity visits; survey and report writing on pet care; doodling, kite making and flying; organising a book fair; sitting under a banyan tree; and visiting a biogas plant and solar energy park are among the recommended activities in the NCERT guidelines.