Neelam Choudhary
Spanish researchers have recently suggested trolleys as a substitute for backpacks, as the latter are now incapable of holding many items required by a child on daily basis. Similar observations were made by two Indian high court judges about two years back. But, do we need to wash hands of such an affair, considering it as another news item for being erased from our minds ? For those of us having kids in age group 6-15, there is a need to watch such observations carefully, as these do have a bearing on us.
We love our kids the most and try to give them the best. But how can we turn a blind eye to a kid struggling hard to get on/off the school bus, reach his class room which may be many floors up and to balance himself? Many a time, they are found running on stairs. In 2012, news poured in of a class VI student of Delhi, who died, when moving along stairs he failed to balance himself along with the heavy school bag .Should we wave aside the healthcare time bomb, the health experts are referring to, if the current trend of carrying a heavy school bag continues? Should such issues as involving our own kids’ future health security be raised by few people like Swati Patil of Mumbai or Badrul Duja Khanyari of Srinagar through public interest litigations?
When our kids complain of frequent neck, shoulder or backbone pains, do we try to identify the reason? If we get to know through the kid, do we visit his/her school and enquire about the guidelines, if any, about the heaviness of school bags that might have been circulated but missed by us? Do we question the non-existence or non-implementation of such guidelines? Do we raise these issues in Parent Teacher meets or while meeting with school principals?
If the answers are in negative, the school authorities are right in passing the buck on to us. At the tender age of 8-9, when the kid’s body is beginning to take shape, carrying heavy weight may cause irreversible loss. But our satisfaction with a heavy bag (heavier the bag, more is the knowledge acquired) doesn’t let us read the writing on the wall. And it goes on. Many of us (parents) don’t mind loading the school bag with tuition notebooks as well.
Yashpal committee in 1993 had recommended, inter alia, the reduction in school bag weight. The issue has taken centre-stage in many non-governmental organizations like Uday foundation, which started ‘save my back campaign’ to unburden the kids. A bill regarding the reduction of school bag was introduced in 2006. But till date, no law exists. The RTE Act 2009 recommends a school bag not weighing more than 10% of the body weight of the kid. Due to representations by NGOs, children rights activists and parents’ associations, the CBSE in a circular in September 2016 directed all the schools affiliated to it to follow certain guidelines, like no school bags for kids of class I and II, lighter bags upto class VIII, safe and portable drinking water to kids, no additional textbooks, students to be encouraged to re-pack their bags on daily basis, proper interaction between parents and school authorities regarding this by random checking by schools of kids’ school bags and positive interventions by the parents.
Did we try to find out whether the school of our kid is implemetnting this or not? In June 2016, the high Court of J&K had asked the government to bring a policy on school bag. But all of us, the equal or unequal stakeholders are still letting the grass grow under feet. Perhaps we are used to a system of delaying things for no justified reasons.
But it’s high time we started thinking about the things of the past we need to replace or modify. If something is telling upon the physical and mental development of our kids, let’s react and bring it to the notice of school authorities that we do care for our kids; let’s pressurize them to implement child-friendly curriculum, without compromising on quality before the new session sets in.
Let’s stay updated with regard to such issues and apprise the school authorities of our concerns. The recent (Feb 2017) acknowledgement of the serious consideration of this problem by HRD minister Javedkar has been hailed by all those standing up for lightening of school bags. He has expressed his intention of giving priority to it, apart from sharing his insightful observations regarding the projects given to kids but completed by parents.
We should encourage the school authorities to hold interactive sessions frequently and take inputs from parents as well.
Abhijeet panse of Mumbai has come out with an innovative idea of having a single textbook for all the subjects, which can be divided into units and the child needs to carry only the one related to his syllabus for that term. Many more ideas might be awaiting implementation, provided a supportive environment exists. They, our kids, are going to handle the challenges of tomorrow . Let’s take a leaf out of Shri R.K. Narayan’s book:
School bag has become an inevitable burden for the child. I am now pleading for abolition of the school bag by an ordinance, if necessary.
I have investigated and found that an average child carries strapped to his back like a pack-mule, not less than 6-8 kg. of books, notebooks and other paraphernalia of modern education in addition to lunch box and water bottle. More children on account of this daily burden develop a stoop and hang their arms forward like a chimpanzee while walking and I know some cases of serious spinal injuries in children too.
(The author is Assistant Professor of Economics DDE, University of Jammu)
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