‘Bagless day’ initiative for classes 6 to 8 at Ludhiana schools delayed

Teachers say they have not received an official email from SCERT, leaving them unclear about executing the order

Despite the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) announcing on November 13 that the last Saturday of every month would be a “bagless day” for students of classes 6-8, the initiative has not been implemented in district schools yet.

Students performing activities on bagless day at a government school in Ludhiana on Saturday. (HT Photo)

Teachers revealed they have not received an official email from SCERT, leaving them unclear about executing the plan. Highlighted the issue, state finance secretary Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, who is also the district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said, “Any new initiative gets implemented only after official communication via email. We were waiting for such an initiative for quite a long time as it was difficult for us to manage studies and a number of activities simultaneously but this delay has caused confusion for school heads, as proper arrangements, including informing parents and managing teacher duties, need to be made a day prior.”

Responding to the concerns, SCERT director Amaninder Kaur said, “We have provided schools a window for implementation and will ensure official communication is sent soon. We plan to start collecting reviews to monitor progress.”

Meanwhile, government primary schools have successfully celebrated their second “bagless day” since the initiative launched last month. These days feature co-curricular activities like yoga, quizzes, art workshops and mindfulness exercises, offering students a refreshing break from routine studies.

District education officer ( DEO elementary) Ravinder Kaur, who introduced the idea for primary students in October, shared, “We are regularly taking feedback from students and teachers, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

A Class-5 student expressed excitement about the initiative and said, “It is fun to have a day without homework or studies. We get to learn new things and enjoy activities together.”

Sukhdhir Sekhon, principal of Government Primary Smart School, Moti Nagar, explained, “Before this became a monthly event, we organised ‘bagless days’ twice a year for two years. Now, with it being celebrated every month, students are even more engaged in creative and stress-free activities.”