KUALA LUMPUR – The Education Ministry (MoE) will be providing locker facilities in primary schools in phases as one of the solutions to the problem of heavy school bags.
For the first phase, the ministry said the lockers will be provided to Standard 1, 2 and 3 pupils operating in two sessions.
In a statement, it said Phase 1 will involve 10,662 classes with 323,186 students, and that the total estimated allocation for this year is RM37.3 million.
In Phase 2, the provision of lockers will be extended to Standard 4, 5 and 6 pupils and is expected to be implemented next year.
“For schools with single sessions, pupils will keep their books in the desk drawers in their respective classrooms,” it said.
In addition, the number of exercise books should not exceed two per subject.
“Each exercise book should not exceed 80 pages. Students are only allowed to use activity books that are provided by the ministry while workbooks can only be used as reference materials outside of official teaching and learning times.”
The MoE said other solutions to the issue include reorganising the class schedules so only three to four subjects are being taught daily.
It added that schools will be given the flexibility to provide a timetable according to a weekly rotational system being implemented under the ministry.
Another measure stated by the ministry is continuing to publish new textbooks in the digital format.
To date, MoE said a total of 692 digital textbook titles have been uploaded in the Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia (Delima) platform.
“Students with devices can access these digital textbooks through the Delima platform.”
Meanwhile, teachers are also encouraged to use a student-centred approach that is thematic, modular and project-based as well as virtual lab or alternative learning.
Lastly, the ministry will cooperate with the Islamic Development Department to give students the flexibility to wear their school uniforms during Al-Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) classes.
“To ensure that each approach is properly implemented to achieve the goal of reducing the problem of heavy school bags, the MoE will closely monitor the implementation of all approaches.
“The monitoring will be carried out by a task force which will periodically report on the implementation.”
The ministry will also continue to increase close cooperation with parents and guardians to ensure that the students bring books in accordance with their schedules.
Engagement sessions with parent-and-teacher associations will also be enhanced, it added.
The ministry had conducted three studies pertaining to heavy school bags in 1994, 2009 and 2017.
“It includes issuing a circular on the use of workbooks in primary schools in 2000 and guidelines in dealing with heavy school bags in 2018.
“However, the problem has not been fully addressed.” – The Vibes, March 6, 2022
