India, Aug. 5 -- Every weekday morning, children who still need help tying shoelaces walk to school bent under expedition-sized school bags. Inside are textbooks, notebooks, lunch boxes, water bottles, art supplies, workbooks, and an almanac. Adults join this procession, carrying the bags until children board the bus or enter the school gate.

This continues despite a court ruling, ministry directions, and a government policy on school bags. The problem is familiar: Rules are announced ceremonially and circulated bureaucratically, while children cover the distance between policy and practice.

In May 2018, the Madras High Court confronted academic overloading in schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education. It directed...