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How to reduce the weight of your child's schoolbag
Dubai - There are more than 17,500 CBSE-affiliated schools across 25 countries.
It's not uncommon to see school students in the UAE carrying backpacks twice their size. But CBSE-affiliated schools in Dubai are taking swift action to lighten that burden on youngsters.
Must read: CBSE rules out school bags, homework for classes I and II
One health expert said that children who carry backpacks that largely exceed 10-15 per cent of their body weight risk long-term health effects.
And when Khaleej Times conducted a school bag test on students, it revealed that 50 per cent of those surveyed did exceed this limit.
But that is set to change.
On September 12, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) India, sent out a circular to schools urging them to implement measures to decrease the weight of school bags of Grade I and II students.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, K.K. Choudhury, Director of Academics, CBSE India, said there has been "a lot of discussion with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in India," about this issue.
"It is a big burden for them at such a tender age, so the thought came to us that we should work in coordination with the students, parents and CBSE-affiliated schools around the world to lighten this burden - quite literally."
As such, the circular was sent out and Khaleej Times is in receipt of a copy of the circular. In it, Choudhury writes: "Young children whose spine is at a crucial stage of growth are the most susceptible ... in this context, schools can play a significant role by sensitising students, parents and teachers."
The plan is to get feedback from schools and parents here in a month or two, so as to evaluate "how effective the call has been," he said.
There are more than 17,500 CBSE-affiliated schools across 25 countries.
According to WhichSchoolAdvisor, approximately 52,000 students study in Indian curriculum schools in Dubai of 'Good', 'Very Good', or 'Outstanding' rating - so you can only imagine the amount of children this will directly benefit.
But who is paying heed here?
At The Indian High School (IHS) Dubai, students and parents are regularly instructed to abide by the timetable for the day.
This allows for "better supervision" to ensure a child does not carry any extra books, Ashok Kumar, CEO of the school said.
"Random checks of school bags are carried out in classes to ensure extra books are not carried by the students. We also drive home the ill effects of carrying heavy school bags, to encourage children to set their bags daily as per the time table."
With more and more classrooms going digital, school bags could soon become a thing of the past.
Although that's good news for our kids' backs - will their ocular health become the next big issue?
How bag-savvy are Dubai students?
Khaleej Times conducted a test to find out how many students stick to the thumb rule that bags should not exceed 10-15 per cent of a child's body weight. The results: 2 out of four students tested were up to scratch, and the other two, just slightly over.
Don't let the bag be a drag on health
When it comes to heavy backpacks on schoolchildren, Dr Nirajan Mukherjee, consultant paediatrician, King's College Hospital Clinics Abu Dhabi, said the long-term trauma to their backs, necks and shoulders, may be irreversible.
"Children who carry backpacks that largely exceed 10-15 per cent of their body weight can in the long-term withstand muscle, skeleton as well as nerve damage," he told Khaleej Times.
Research shows that heavy loads can damage soft tissues on the shoulders and back, affecting the microstructure of nerves. Heavy backpacks can end up diminishing nerve capacity, which could delay or even restrict the muscles' capacity to react to the brain's signals.
"In addition to these alarming effects, a heavily loaded backpack can cause the child to adopt a tilted posture due to the discomfort, making him or her lean more towards one side, which can lead to conditions, such as scoliosis," he said.
Dr Mukherjee said it is extremely important for parents to ensure their children are not carrying heavy loads, as well as check they are "wearing and strapping their backpacks properly".
As for schools, they should absolutely provide enough lockers for all students and be keeping an eye out for overloaded backpacks to help look after children's health and wellbeing. kelly@khaleejtimes.com
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