Building a robot, interviewing a local entrepreneur, learning from an artisan or solving a community problem can turn a regular school day into a practical learning experience.
That is the idea behind Bagless Days under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
NEP 2020 recommends a 10-day bagless period for students in Grades 6–8, providing exposure to vocational skills and local professionals. The Ministry of Education’s 2024 guidelines further outline experiential activities involving skills, arts, sports, visits and interactions with professionals.
For principals, the challenge is implementation: How can a school turn Bagless Days into structured learning while accessing expertise it may not have internally?
This is where credible edtech and skill-based learning providers can support schools.
Table of Contents
What Is a Bagless Day?
The official Bagless Days guidelines focus on experiential and skill-based learning for students in Grades 6–8.
A Bagless Day can include:
- STEM, coding or robotics projects
- Entrepreneurship and financial literacy
- Local crafts and vocational activities
- Visits to workplaces or institutions
- Environmental projects
- Sports and creative activities
- Interaction with skilled professionals
The objective is not simply to remove school bags. It is to help students learn by doing, observing, questioning and creating.
Start With the Learning Objective
Before choosing an activity, principals should ask:
What should students learn or be able to do?
A STEM challenge could develop problem-solving. An entrepreneur interaction could build career awareness. A design project could develop creativity and collaboration.
The Government of India’s vocational education framework emphasises practical activities and exposure to the world of work. The learning outcome should therefore determine the activity, not the other way around.
Identify Where the School Needs Support
Schools do not need to deliver every skill internally.
Principals can assess:
- Which teachers can conduct hands-on activities?
- What equipment is already available?
- Which local experts can participate?
- Which activities require specialised trainers or infrastructure?
For example, a school may have teachers who can lead environmental projects but may not have robotics kits or trained coding facilitators.
That is where an external partner can add value.
Integrate EdTech and Skill-Based Learning Providers
Private edtech companies and skill-based learning organisations can help schools deliver specialised programmes through trainers, equipment, technology and structured projects.
Depending on the school’s objectives, this could include:
STEM and Robotics: Students design and test solutions to practical problems.
Coding and AI: Students develop computational thinking through age-appropriate projects.
Entrepreneurship: Students identify a problem and develop a product or business idea.
Financial Literacy: Students learn budgeting, saving and decision-making through practical activities.
Design and Innovation: Students use design thinking to address real-world challenges.
The provider should not be selected simply because it offers a workshop. It should solve a specific learning or implementation need.
Choose Partners Carefully
Before partnering with an external provider, principals should evaluate:
Curriculum alignment: Does the activity support the school’s learning objectives?
Facilitator expertise: Are trainers qualified to work with the relevant age group?
Hands-on learning: Are students creating, testing, investigating or solving something?
Infrastructure: Does the provider have the necessary equipment and resources?
Learning outcomes: What will students be able to demonstrate afterwards?
Teacher involvement: Will the provider work with teachers rather than operate separately?
The best partnership is not one where the school simply hands over the Bagless Day. It is one where the school defines the objective and the provider brings specialised expertise to achieve it.
Structure the Experience
A strong Bagless Day should have three stages.
Before: Teachers introduce the topic, explain the learning objective and prepare students with questions or tasks.
During: Students participate in experiments, projects, field visits or interactions with experts.
After: Students document their learning through a report, prototype, presentation, portfolio or reflection.
The official guidelines emphasise planning before and after activities so that experiential learning remains connected to educational outcomes.
Combine Local Knowledge With Modern Skills
External providers should complement the local component of Bagless Days.
For example, students could learn a traditional craft from a local artisan and then use digital tools to document and present the process.
Similarly, students could identify a local environmental problem and use STEM resources to develop a prototype solution.
This connects local knowledge, modern skills and classroom learning.
Measure What Students Learned
A successful Bagless Day should not be measured by photographs or the number of workshops completed.
Principals can evaluate:
- What skill did students practise?
- What did they create or demonstrate?
- Could they explain what they learned?
- Did the activity connect with classroom concepts?
- What did teachers observe?
Student reflections, project outputs and teacher feedback can provide simple evidence of learning.
Conclusion
Bagless Days can become a meaningful part of a school’s experiential learning strategy when they are built around clear outcomes, practical skills and active student participation.
Schools do not have to develop every capability internally. Local professionals, vocational institutions, community organisations and credible edtech and skill-based learning providers can bring specialised expertise, technology and resources where needed.
The key is to choose partners based on the school’s learning objectives, not simply the activities they offer.
A successful Bagless Day is not just a day without school bags. It is a day that gives students a reason to learn beyond the classroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Bagless Day in school?
Answer. A Bagless Day is an experiential learning initiative where students participate in practical, activity-based and skill-oriented learning. NEP 2020 recommends a 10-day bagless period for Grades 6–8.
- What does NEP 2020 say about Bagless Days?
Answer. NEP 2020 recommends a 10-day bagless period for Grades 6–8, including exposure to vocational crafts and local experts. The Ministry of Education subsequently issued guidelines for implementing Bagless Days.
- What activities can schools conduct?
Answer. Schools can conduct STEM projects, vocational activities, arts, sports, field visits, entrepreneurship activities, local craft experiences and interactions with professionals.
- Can schools partner with private edtech companies?
Answer. Yes. NEP 2020 does not mandate private edtech partnerships, but schools can work with credible providers for specialised trainers, technology, equipment and structured skill-based programmes.
- How can edtech companies support Bagless Days?
Answer. Edtech and skill-based learning providers can support coding, robotics, STEM, AI, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and design-thinking activities while working alongside the school’s teachers and learning objectives.