Kathmandu Metropolitan City to Implement Book-free and Bag-free Day for Students
Kathmandu Metropolitan City has announced the implementation of a program where students will go to school without books and bags every Friday. The goal is to allow students to have a fun-filled day, learn useful life skills, and return home with a new perspective on learning, without the burden of homework.
The brainchild of this program is Balendra Sah, the head of the metropolis, who was inspired by good schools in Western countries and Delhi that hold book-free and bag-free days. Ram Prasad Subedi, the head of education department of Kathmandu metropolis, explains that this program is not just about having fun and playing, but about engaging in activities that provide students with practical knowledge and essential skills.
Activities planned for the book-free and bag-free day include drama, essay writing, singing, reciting poems, and writing related to Nepali. The curriculum is designed to offer a holistic approach to learning that promotes classroom and extra-curricular activities before halftime.
Apart from traditional sports activities, the program aims to teach useful life skills such as how to use a spade, dig a field, grow plants, plow, pull weeds, create a project, pick up garbage, dispose of waste, and make fertilizer. The metropolis recognizes the importance of teaching basic skills to students, including folding clothes, cleaning their room, putting away dust, arranging clothes, washing clothes, bathing, cutting nails, and sewing on a button.
The metropolis also plans to provide short-term training from class 9 onwards, which includes subjects such as plumbing, mobile repairing, cooking skills, sewing-weaving, beautician, and more. The program aims to provide students with a CTEVT-recognized certificate by the time they reach class 12.
The program is initially planned for primary and secondary government schools of the metropolis, but private schools can implement the curriculum if they invest in it. The program is set to begin on Baishakh 15th to 20th of the academic session, with a national level seminar for relevant parties and a separate meeting for parents to provide orientation on the program.
Published on 22 April 2023
Kathmandu