BERHAMPUR: Saturday brought a pleasant change for children across Ganjam who didn’t have to trudge to schools with heavy bags full of books. With the implementation of ‘No School Bag Day’, students of 34 Government UP schools in the district were relieved of the burden of backpacks. “I was eagerly waiting for Saturday as my teachers had told me that we will get a pleasant surprise today. It was indeed a delightful experience as the classes were far more enjoyable without our bags,” said Nirmala of Kasturba Gandhi Girls school in Chhatrapur block.

Last week, Ganjam Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange had decided to implement ‘No School Bag Day’ in 64 UP schools on all working Saturdays. In the first phase 20 schools in all the 22 blocks and 14 in Berhampur city introduced the scheme.

On the day, school authorities imparted lessons on life skills to students and encourage extra curricular activities, games and sports to make schools a more joyful place of learning. “Parents, teachers and students have appreciated the move. It is our endeavour to make the students more creative and lower their academic burden,” said a senior officer of the education department.

Parents were happy to see their kids return home feeling refreshed. Brundaban Behera of Puti Gopalpur village said, “As a parent, I could always feel the burden of my seven-year-old daughter who carries heavy bags to school every day. Though it pained me, I could not help her due to my busy schedule. It is really thoughful on the part of the administration to stop students carrying bags for one day in a week.”

Sources said the students spent the entire day playing games and listening to motivational stories about freedom fighters. School teachers said the initiative will not only help students bring out their creative side but also increase the attendance in Government schools. On the day, Kulange visited the Puti Gopalpur and Kasturaba Gandhi schools to interact with students and see their reaction. The Collector said the initiative will be implemented in all schools after gauging the response from students.