Many children are developing irreversible back deformities because of the weight of their school bags which they carry to school. Despite Children’s Schoolbag Act, 2006, which states that school bags should not weigh more than 10 per cent of the body weight of the student, many students regularly carry heavy bags to school. Children gradually lose interest in going to school due to the stress caused and their attention span also reduces. As textbooks constitute a major proportion of the weight of the bag and the teacher teaches only a part of the text book (few pages) in a month, the publishers could separate the big textbook into thin booklets, which will make the load lighter for the children. Schools could also provide lockers where students can keep their books. Students should organise their bags daily and carry only books which are needed for the day. Let us hope that the new education policy would make the school bags of children lighter.
Jubel D’Cruz
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
