The Central Board for School Education (CBSE) has sent a circular to all CBSE schools instructing to reduce the weight of the school bag in all possible ways. The action comes after the physiotherapists hinted on dire consequences for children by carrying heavy weighted school bags on a daily basis.
Dr. Rajesh Kanna, Physiotherapist and Secretary of Physiotherapists Association Coimbatore Chapter, while speaking to the press reported that, they had been frequently conducting seminars and conferences at schools insisting the impact of carrying heavy weight school bags. 'The children carrying such bags are prone to suffer neck, shoulder, ligament problems in the spinal cord in their near future. Many students have developed hunch backs due to school bags. The weight of the school bag should be only 15% of the total weight of the child', he said.
Parents should ensure that the school bags are thick strapped and accompanied by a hip support strap, as well. The books should be compartmentalised orderly so that the weight remains balanced. The school management should also devise ways to reduce the books load by providing cabinets for the students to secure certain books at the schools itself. By that way, the students carrying bags up and down will be drastically reduced.
If schools could provide purified drinking water, students need not carry big water bottles to quench their thirst while they are at school. Parents, teachers and the school mangement should work together to find smart solutions for the issue and protect the children from avoidable ailments. Regular medical and awareness camps should be organised by the schools to create inclusiveness among students on the importance of their health and ways to enhance it.