Chandigarh: Children studying in primary classes in government schools in Chandigarh will no longer have to carry a burden on their young shoulders.

The Chandigarh administration's education department has decided to do away with schoolbags and examinations for all students from Nursery to Class 2.

The decision will impact over 23,000 children and will be implemented from the academic session 2008-09 starting July this year.

"Our focus will now be on activity based learning. Instead of examinations, we will have a grading system to evaluate students on their performance. They will not have to carry books in heavy schoolbags any longer," an education department official told IANS.

Selected teachers from government primary schools will be heading to Chennai next week to learn the schoolbags-free concept from the Rishi Valley school.

The administration, in a recent move, had also announced that the uniform of over 105,000 government school students in the city would be changed from the present white shirts and blue pants or skirts to blue-striped shirts and blue pants or skirts. IANS