PETALING JAYA: Providing lockers to primary school pupils is a good move towards solving the perennial problem of heavy schoolbags.Stakeholders said measures must, however, be in place to make sure the lockers serve their purpose and not end up a waste of funds.

       Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said steps must be taken to prevent the lockers from being vandalised.“Principals must be taken to task if vandalism occurs under their watch,” she said, adding that students should be given the leeway to decide how best to use the lockers.Noor Azimah said the introduction of lockers by the Education Ministry was a good move as similar initiatives taken by parent-teacher associations and schools in the past have proven effective.

       “If done properly, the maintenance of lockers should not cost much,” she added.

       National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Wang Heng Suan said schools should ensure strict discipline so that students would not dare damage the lockers.

       To prevent keys from going missing, he suggested the use of digital locks.

       Educationist and former NUTP secretary-general Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said to prevent vandalism, schools must inculcate good behaviour among the students.

       He said the lockers would be a waste if students are made to lug all their books home for homework or revision.

       On Sunday, Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said double-session primary school pupils would be provided lockers starting this year as a way to solve the issue of heavy schoolbags, beginning with Year One, Two and Three pupils.

       He said an allocation of RM37.3mil had been set aside to provide lockers for a total of 323,186 lower primary pupils in 10,662 classes.

       Radzi said the locker initiative was one of seven holistic solutions devised by the ministry to overcome the issue of heavy schoolbags which has been going on for almost three decades.Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said the ministry should leave it to the schools to decide on the best way to manage the number of books students bring each day.“Don’t limit the number of exercise books and subjects in the timetable. Different schools have different needs,” he said.Sabah Teachers Union president Sharil Liwangsa said allowing its members to rearrange the timetable would solve the heavy bag issue.

       “This can be done quickly and it is a cheaper solution compared to providing lockers.”