It is rather a common complaint heard from all most all school children. Educationists are concerned about the backache and postural problems resulting from the heavy school bags carried by children. Students of all levels have been complaining of the considerable discomfort they are experiencing daily from the burden of heavy school bags. The weight of our children’s school bags is alarming,” complain many parents. They say, “It is heart-breaking to see little children hauling the heavy school bags around”.
Medical professionals say that though the long-term effects of heavy backpacks are not known, excessive weight and certain types of school bags can cause pressure on nerves at the nape of the neck which in turn may lead to muscle spasms as well as neck or shoulder pain. They recommend that a school bag should never be more than 10 to 15 percent of a student’s body weight.
Here the question arises why such a heavy school bag? It isn’t just because that the textbooks have become heavier but the number of notebooks per subject has increased because of the expanding curriculum. Children carry textbooks, notebooks, lunch packs, snack boxes, water bottles, geometrical and mathematical instruments and library books. They carry all their books because they are afraid of being caught without the right one. Small students are not interested in studies, they are interested in playing. If they have light bags, then they will be more relaxed. A heavy bag hurts a lot and it makes them to sweat more. It takes up all their energy before they reach school in the morning.
The burden of heavy school bags puts too much pressure on growing bones. To make matters worse, shoulders are always in a state of tension because muscles are tensed and taut for long periods. Carrying a heavy bag affects children’s backs, necks and shoulders, especially when children carry bags on only one side of their shoulder. Children have to bear this burden on their backs daily, which is both physical and psychological pain. This stress and heavy weight may result in a deformed body posture. Again by carrying of heavy bags can also result in problems such as asthma, diabetes, and anemia. It brings many psychological side-effects on the child which can lead him to hate school because he associates it with the burdensome heavy weight of his bag.
Children who have to walk to school may suffer serious injury if they fall down with their bag. There should be more awareness of this problem by parents. Parents should at least encourage their children to carry their bags using both shoulders. The only way to get rid of these problems is to provide children with lockers, which many schools are doing today. It is a really good solution as they can keep some of their heavy books there and not suffer like this. And even others ways can be implemented like providing children light weight bags which are not putting much weight on their shoulders, and are quiet comfortable too. Children should be made to carry subjects in which the school has given them home works. And indeed the home works should be reduced. As the class increases, the burden on back increases. All this should be stopped as it is really unfair. The government should limit on the weight of school bags.