Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala General Education Department has decided to seek public opinion on expert committee reports proposing reforms such as scrapping the back-bench system, introducing new seating arrangements, and reducing the weight of school bags. As part of the process, draft reports prepared by the curriculum committee will be published on the official website of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

Teachers, students, and members of the general public can submit their views on the reports until January 20. A final decision on the proposed reforms will be taken after examining the feedback, government sources said.

According to the expert committee’s recommendations, classrooms with fewer than 20 students should have seating arranged in a U-shape. Another key proposal is revising the syllabus to reduce the weight of school bags. It suggests fixing timetables with only three or four subjects per day.

Other recommendations aimed at reducing bag weight include providing lockers in classrooms for storing books, using a single notebook for multiple subjects, sharing textbooks, and increasing the use of digital textbooks.

In 2024, Education Minister V Sivankutty announced plans to reduce the weight of school bags for students from Classes 1 to 10, following complaints and suggestions from parents and others. It was also reported that the General Education Department was considering the introduction of a bag-free system to ease the burden on students.

Currently, textbooks are printed in two parts to address the issue of heavy school bags. Reports indicate that the weight of school bags carried by Class 1 students ranges from 1.6 kg to 2.2 kg, while Class 10 students carry bags weighing between 2.5 kg and 4.5 kg.