School Bags that Cripple Boys and Girls

School Bags that Cripple Boys and Girls

“Studying in LKG but carrying 5KG” is the observation of a sensitive but helpless parent, lamenting on the back breaking heavy bags carried by school children nowadays. The question was posed to members of a social web group of senior citizens called SSS-GLOBAL and the suggestions received to mitigate the problem are listed below. Prior to that the scenario Maharashra will be useful.

According to a report, over 58 per cent of students below 10 years of age have mild muscle pain while 75 per cent of those below 12 years of age were found to be falling ill and having fever from time to time due to heavy bags. Medical experts too have issued alerts about the toll it (heavy bags) takes on the health of students. Many committees were formed and reports were submitted at state and national levels on the issue. Experts considered options ranging from ‘no school bags for kids’ to restrictions of the weight of school bags to 10 per cent of the weight of the student. In AP the rule stipulates a maximum of 5Kg per student.

Now for suggestions from SSS-Global:

1.      Printing text books in parts thus taking only small part of any book at a time.

2.      Using only one big note book with partitions for many subjects

3.      Providing storage shelf in schools

4.      Re-designing syllabus / exams / terms / sessions / homework / time-tables

5.      Children also carry lunch box, water bottle, rain coat, umbrella. These extras may be avoided by providing food and water in school itself; giving light weight rain coats or protective apparel.  

6.      One solution to reduce weight of school bag is students should buy two copies of each text book- one for school and another for home. They should carry only notebooks or workbooks in their bags.  No doubt, it might cost more expenditure for parents.  

7.      The entire text book should be available online or downloaded in a Tablet which can easily be carried by the  student.

8.      By Introducing lap tops and electronic devices, the weight may get reduced to some extent

9.      Fighting the evil via Parents-Teachers Associations

10.  Vigilance should provided by govt. and the Principal should be heavily fined for not following govt. instruction. (Maximum 5 Kg per student)

11.  In one school the children are not given home work at all and they have an hour of assisted work period at the end of the day when they do the exercises with the teacher available to clear doubts. All their books are kept in the school itself.

12.  If not more than three subjects are taught in a day, then the number of books required to be take will reduce.