UAE schools group develop 'lighter' bag for students

The bags are deisgned in such a way that they are light and provide better support thus reducing the burden of heavy bags. - Supplied photo

Ajman - As a result, bags that are less in weight with better support for the back.

By Staff Reporter

Published: Thu 24 Mar 2016, 7:16 PM

For most parents, it is an achievement to get children to school with everything they need without making their little shoulders stoop.
The Habitat Group of Schools in the UAE, that proposed a new model of schooling, has applied its mind in developing lighter and more convenient school bags in consultation with educationists, medical practitioners, teachers and parents.
As a result, bags that are less in weight with better support for the back through straps and a designated space for tiffin box have been developed.

Light bag features
> A hip belt and foam rest on the back to support the body
> Bag handles on the top and lateral side
> Designated space for tiffin box> Slot for student ID
> Comes in 3 colours and sizes for KG, primary and high school

The idea was floated by the managing director of the Habitat Group of Schools, Shamsu Zaman C.T., comprising the International Indian School, Ajman; and Habitat Schools in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain,
"Being a father myself, I have seen how children struggle to carry or pull heavily loaded school bags as they go to school. Studies have shown that carrying more than 15-20 per cent of their body weight can be damaging to a child's health. Most of the bags children bring are not designed to address these issues, for instance, very few customised and size-appropriate bags are available in the market. This is what made us think of a new kind of school bag."
The custom made bag featuring the Habitat Group logo has many features like a hip belt and foam rest on the back to support the body, as well as bag handles on the top and lateral side.
The bag will also help to categorise and identify students as they are made in three different colours and sizes for KG, primary and high school with a slot for student IDs."
"One major aspect of these bags is the way these bags can function as equalisers among students who come from as many as 31 countries, reducing the distraction that fashionable bags do cause," explained the school's Academic Director, CT Adil. He added that after numerous deliberations with school deans, academic heads and paediatric and orthopaedic doctors, the schools management has on one hand, worked on the bags design and revised textbooks, on the other, to reduce the number of books a student needs to carry to the school.
"The bag is carefully designed and has good features like hip straps which help in distributing the weight of the bag evenly across the back. This will reduce bending of the spine backwards, which otherwise can result in back pain," said Dr Jamaludeen Aboobacker, paediatrician and director of Metro Medical Centre.
The school has also undertaken considerable efforts to lessen the number of books children have to carry considering that the amount of books should be proportionate with the bag's size.
"The school textbook committee has selected term books over subject books and avoided supplementary books for grade 1 and 2, while complying with curriculum guidelines of the board. In these grades, a student may carry a single book instead of four books.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com