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28 March 2024

Students shoulder back-breaking burden of bags

Published
By Sneha May Francis

How many times have you struggled to transfer your heavy grocery bags from your shopping cart to your car or from the car to the elevator of your building? Innumerable times, I would assume.

Now, stop and think of how children carry school bags, which could weigh anywhere between 8 and 10kgs, every day and cart it from their school buses, up flights of stairs, into their classrooms and back.
 
It’s a miracle, really, how kids balance those hefty bags on their fragile shoulders without injuring themselves.
 
“I was shocked when I tried to help my son with his schoolbag. He’s 8 years old and weighs 30kgs, and his bag weighs nearly 10kgs,” described Rohan. “And to imagine that he carries this weight every day is terrifying.”
 
His wife added that their son’s school started providing locker systems from this year, but due to lack of communication with the teachers, he ended up carrying all his school books around. “He was confused about which books to bring home and which to keep back in school. He missed out on a few assignments because of this,” she elaborated.
 
Added to that, some schools disallowed trolley bags. “I bought him a trolley bag to ease the burden, but he told me that the school doesn’t permit it,” added Rohan. “I might be able to share the burden when I pick him up, but it’s a long walk from the bus to his classroom, which is located up a flight of stairs, and out there he’s on his own.”
 
And, trolley bags are banned even in some kindergartens, which is unfair, informed a parent, adding: “I feel so sorry for my child. She gets off the bus and just dumps it off her shoulder. Even I can’t lift her bag, it triggers a backache.”
 
She suggested that “schools must either let children use trolley bags or make arrangements in the school to store their books, which aren’t required for daily revision”.
 
Some parents dodged the no-trolley bag rule and packed their children off with one. “When my child complained of backache, I got her a trolley bag. She’s been using one ever since, even though her school doesn’t permit it. Until the school writes to me, I will continue to send her with the trolley bag,” asserted a parent.
 
Maybe schools must take a cue from airlines, who grant passengers the use of trolley bags as hand luggage, that weighs up to 7kgs, far lighter than what most kids are strapped with these days.
 
It’s not only schoolbags that kids are loaded with. They often carry extra bags for lunch and sporting activities. “When my son goes for swimming classes, he carries one bag for his swimming gear, and another for his food, because those don’t fit into his schoolbag,” informed an Indian parent.
 
Another resident claimed he could barely lift the school bag of his neighbour’s kid, who he had helped enter the elevator. “It could easily weigh more than 8kgs. I ended up asking him if he was going away on vacation,” he quipped.
 
And if children aren’t unburdened, then chances are these children will end up with serious health risks at such a young age.
 
“My 7-year-old niece started complaining of bad backaches and we had to take her to the doctor, who advised her complete bed rest for a few days and banned her from carrying anything heavy,” reported Indira. “Her school bags are so heavy that even we find it difficult to lift it.”
 
When Emirates247 escalated the issue to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) they said the issue rested with the parents and schools. “Although currently there are no guidelines on the specifications for the school bags that students carry to schools, health and safety of the students is primary concern at KHDA,” stated Mohammed Darwish, Chief or Regulations and Compliance Commission (RCC) of KHDA.
 
While these issues have been reported mostly in Indian schools, other boards like the British or IB curriculum are working towards reducing the overload. “My son goes to a British school and he only carries a reading folder, which has one or two reading books, and a communication folder. Nothing more,” stated Lina.
 
Another Indian parent, who was planning to enrol his son in a school offering IB curriculum, was told that his son will only have to carry a pencil box to school, and all his other stuff will be kept in the school. “The teachers will help him with his school work and homework, so when he returns home with just a pencil box, he is allowed to be a child and not be troubled with school work,” he stressed.
 
“Schools and parents must work together to find solutions that are practical, effective and safe for students of all ages. Working together in the best interests of the student is the way forward on this and many other aspects of school operations,” added Darwish.