PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry is working on a holistic framework to address the issue of heavy bags in schools.

       Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said he noticed that among the contributing factors to the problem were schools that have too many subjects in a day and students bringing too many books that are sometimes not used.

       "We are working on a holistic framework to be released as soon as possible.

       “We cannot just instruct schools to reduce their subjects, therefore, we are studying this issue in detail one by one.

       “There are different aspects we need to consider, such as schools not having enough teachers,” he said after launching the Sekolahku Sejahtera concept on Monday (Feb 21).

       He said the ministry has discussed the matter with Jakim (Department of Islamic Development), for example, to allow students who take Agama lessons in the evening to wear their school uniform as a way to reduce the amount of items they carry in their bag.

       In regards to the Form Three Assessment Examination (PT3) exams this year, Radzi said the ministry is studying the best approach to take while taking students’ mastery level into consideration.

       “We will be looking at their mastery level once schools reopen to help the ministry in making a decision about the exams.

       “We have not decided on anything yet for the PT3 exams,” he added.

       On the Sekolahku Sejahtera (My School is Prosperous) concept, he said it will be implemented during classroom and co-curricular activities.

       The elements that encompass the concept are safety, fun in school, health, etiquette, empathy, identity, manners, harmony, possessing a diligent and thorough attitude, skills, exploration of knowledge, rational behaviour and articulation.

       “When we discussed what elements we should implement, we thought it should be something our children should master at the basic level.

       “There are a total of 14 elements, and these aren’t the only important elements in life they should master, but the emphasis here is on teaching them the basics.

       “We often discuss teaching these things but how do we implement it?” he said during the launch.

       He reiterated that the concept will not be a new subject, nor will it be a burden to teachers, adding that teachers will not have to submit reports on it.