Lighter bags, no backbenchers in classrooms: Kerala govt's school reform plan explained

The Kerala government's education department has approved the draft report on measures to reduce the weight of school bags. The state government's Curriculum Steering Committee has also decided to take steps to abolish the concept of backbenchers from the next academic year

Making these announcements on Thursday, Kerala's General Education and Labour Minister V. Sivankutty said that these two reforms are being implemented to bring about qualitative changes in the state's general education sector.

The proposed measures focus on reducing the weight of school bags to ensure the physical and mental well-being of students, and creating a classroom environment without ‘back benchers’ as part of the democratisation of classrooms, an official statement by the department cited by news agency ANI said on Thursday.

Earlier, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) had been entrusted with studying these proposals in detail. Based on this, reports were prepared and discussed in detail at today's State Curriculum Steering Committee meeting. The committee subsequently approved the draft report.

"We want to make the schools more child-friendly and democratic. Accordingly, there is a recommendation to reduce the weight of the schoolbags. There will be steps to scientifically reduce the weight after taking into account the physical fitness of the students. Additionally, back benches in classrooms will be abolished to ensure that all students receive equal attention and maintain a democratic academic atmosphere in the classes. Accordingly, seating arrangements in classrooms will undergo changes,” Sivankutty was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

Draft to be made public soon

To ensure broader social participation in the education process, the draft report has been made available for public consultation. The report will be made available on the SCERT website. Teachers, parents, students and the general public can submit their suggestions and opinions on the proposals until 20 January.

After considering public feedback, the General Education Department aims to implement these changes in schools from the start of the next academic year. The Minister said that these reforms would help make schools more child-friendly and democratic.

‘Horseshoe’ seating arrangement

Already, some schools in Kerala have decided to adopt a “horseshoe” seating arrangement in their classrooms. A few schools in the Kannur, Thrissur, and Kollam districts have introduced the horseshoe, or semi-circle, seating arrangement, according to an Indian Express report.

In this arrangement, students are seated in the perimeter of the classroom, facing each other. The teacher is also able to have face-to-face interactions with all students who happen to sit in this layout, with the teacher moving around the room. This is unlike using a seating arrangement in classrooms where the teacher stands at the front, and the students sit in rows, one after another, in a room.

Movie Inspiration?

The new seating arrangement in some schools is reportedly inspired by the 2024 Malayalam film, Sthanarthi Sreekuttan. The film, directed by Vinesh Viswanathan, is about a 'backbencher', Sreekuttan, who revolts against the traditional classroom arrangement.

In the climax of the movie, the rows of seating in the classroom are replaced with a U-shaped arrangement.

The concept can be traced to the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP). The programme, launched by the Union Government in 1994 in five other states besides Kerala, recommended flexible seating arrangements. However, an inclination towards the traditional row system could not make its mass adoption a reality.

(With agency inputs)