Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: After the Covid pandemic hit the school classes for the first time, the schools are operating full time after two years.
However, with students carrying the heavy burden of school bags on their backs, parents are worried about their children’s health.
Parents said heavy bags with a weight of more than six to eight kg threaten children’s health and well-being. Many times children with weak physiques, especially girls, are seen walking with bends while bearing the weight of school bags.
The heavy load of bags are caused due to notebooks, textbooks, and rough books, besides the weight of school bag, water bottles and other material. Nobody bothers about the burden and back pain students face due to the heavy weight of school bags.
Parent Sandeep Parkar said Central Government introduced the school bag policy in 2020; however, most schools have forgotten the policy.
Schools should make an effort to reduce the burden of the weight of school bags on students to protect their health at a young age. He said many times that two students sat on one bench where they could share one textbook instead of carrying two books simultaneously. Similarly, one rough notebook should be allowed so they can copy notes on each subject at home.
The Schools should provide them drinking water. This would reduce the burden of weight.
Though there are school buses, the weight has to bear on the back. In some schools, there are no buses where students go and return from school by walking carrying the weight.
He said there is central government direction on how much weight students should carry from standard one to twelfth.
For std first and second, it is 1.6 to 2.2 kg, and for eleventh to twelfth, it is 3.5 to 5 kg. However, we often see school students carrying a weight of more than six to eight kg on their backs. He said my daughter with weak health often falls sick because of the weight of books she carries to school and even misses her class.
An eighth-standard girl from Kavlem School said all students are requested to bring notebooks and textbooks by their respective teachers.
She admitted that if two students sit on the bench, one textbook is sufficient for them.
She said she carries eight textbooks daily, similarly the same number of notebooks.
The headmaster at Ponda said there is a government circular on this, but so far, there is not much awareness of it.
He said the weight of school bags on children should be definitely reduced. There is a provision to provide textbooks to each student. However, if students sit on one bench, they do not need to carry two books on the same subject.
They can share one book, and thus weight can be reduced.
