School bags Cumbers Students : Bags Too Heavy
Heavy school bags have been a definitive burden for school-going young shoulders. The government and the education boards have made several attempts and assurances to reduce the weight of school bags, but the situation is kind of the same. Here are some easy solutions for heavy school bags.
Despite several attempts by education boards and complaints from parents,heavy school bags have been a definitive burden for school-going young shoulders. Some schools have already installed lockers in classrooms to ease the pressure on students getting overloaded with textbooks, guides, homework notebooks, rough work notebooks, etc. However, the plight of students struggling to carry heavy bags still persists, and the issue has not been under consideration in most schools.
Evidently, the heavy school bags have led to pain in the lower back, shoulders, and hands of the students, but these problems often go overlooked and misunderstood as growing pains, wrong posture, sedentary lifestyle and other reasons.
The common effects of heavy school bags on students are fatigue, muscle strain, back pain, distortion of the spine’s natural curves, rounding of the shoulders, poor body posture, and short attention span. In extreme scenarios, carrying heavy school bags can also cause cervical and lumbar pains.
GOVERNMENT, EDU BOARDS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO LESSEN WEIGHT
The government and the education boards have made several attempts and assurances to lessen the weight of school bags. There have been a few court orders directing the state governments to formulate policies for preventing students from carrying heavy school bags. Also, committees have been formed from time to time deliberating on the issue of burdening students with overloaded school bags.
However, no law or policy has yet been enforced to ease the burden on the students and on multiple occasions, parents have been complaining that students are being told to carry extra notebooks to classes.
There has been much research to lessen the burden on young shoulders. Based on the recommendations of experts from NCERT, CBSE, KVS and NVS, a year back, the Delhi government issued guidelines to limit the weight of school bags. As per the new guidelines, students in pre-primary do not require school bags, while the maximum limit for classes I and II is 1.6 kg and 2.2 kg, respectively.
For the rest of the classes at the primary level, there is a cap of 2.5 kg, and for classes VI to VIII, the school bag should not be heavier than 4 kg. Afterwards, the maximum load limit is 5 kg and it is for class XII.
A few researchers have pointed out that any child or an adult should not carry bags of more than 10-15 per cent of their body weight. However, till new policies are tabled to weigh down the load on students, there are some easy solutions for heavy school bags.
- Selection of bag: Usually backpacks with two straps are preferable as one-sided backpacks cause extra strain on the side it is habitually carried. The backpacks should be made of lightweight material and the straps should be thick to comfort the young shoulders. Most students also prefer a backpack which does not exceed four inches below their waistline and has a waist clip.
- Bag management: Organizing the bag daily, i.e., keeping the books according to the school timetable will also help students with lightweight school bags. This will decrease the weight of the bags significantly. Also, it is suggested that the heavier notebooks are kept close to the back. Making fair use of the various compartments to pack books, notebooks, stationary, or lunch boxes distributes the weight evenly.
- Posture: The body posture in which a backpack is being carried also plays an important role in reducing the burden. Experts suggest that the backpack must be higher over the strong mid-back muscles and should not exceed over 4 inches below the waistline. While carrying the backpack, students should maintain a straight posture instead of leaning backward or forward.
Overall, parents and teachers also have a role to play in reducing the weight of school bags. There should be clear instructions from the teachers on which books to carry and parents should help their wards make a habit of arranging the books on a daily basis.
