"One thing we need to care and realize for school going children's"

KhamLianLal Zou *

Primary School Children receiving Mid day meal at Praja High School, Lamshang in Sep 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

One fine day I was sitting on my baranda , browsing the net., facebooking and chit-chatting with friends from different corners of the world. Also had a beautiful morning with the free gift of nature, sun bathing. A group of school going children's passes by with a full packed of school bags which could be much heavier than their body weights.

At the same time I came across one of the unknown author wrote about the problem faced by a school going children's in today's world through the server, mentioning about the daily routine that the children's often carried heavy bag twice day from Mon-Friday while going for the schools. Here comes in my mind, a big question that stunted-up�

What makes your child suffer?A poor education system and its inaccurate norms make child suffer in today's extremely changing world. We often see in India small children's going to school with hefty school bags on their delicate shoulders which are much heavier than their body weight.

According to research on child body, the limit of school bag weights for children has to be 10-20% of their body weight but today school bag of small developing minds is much heavier than their body weights. 'We are seeing children carrying up to a quarter of their body weight around, which would never be allowed if you were an adult. Do we ever witness this situation?

One may have seen and I have seen & observed that "Students bring many books and other things that are non-essential. For instance, students in Class I need not bring a compass box and multiple notebooks but we found that a majority of them was bringing six to eight notebooks, all the syllabus books, compass boxes, workbooks, pads and water bottle. This is non-essential item increase weight of school bag. "Carrying heavy school bags has an adverse impact on the health of students.

Now-a-day kids carry heavy bags twice a day and both times they have to carry these hefty bags with them on their shoulders. The problem is worse in rural areas where they have to walk a long distance to school. Many complain of back pain. They also face the risk of serious back deformities,"

Heavy school bags are 'deforming' children as growing numbers suffer irreversible back problems. Growing numbers of children are developing irrever- sible back deformities because of the weight of the bags they carry to school.

Some of the disadvantage of carrying heavy bags:

1. If children have bigger bags then they tend to fill them. Add on sports equipment, musical instruments and heavy wet weather clothes and children are totally overloaded

2. Children's skeletons are still growing so carrying heavy bags can cause lasting damage.

3. Carrying a heavy bag on the back causes forward leaning and bad posture, which can lead to improper weight bearing on the spine.

4. Many are carrying their bags on one shoulder or are increasingly carrying them on the crook of their elbow, so are placing a great strain on the spine.

5. A lot of the bags being used are bulky sports bags, which are twice the size of backpacks used a decade ago.

To overcome the situation and take step for the school going children Parents and school, government and non-governmental organization should know this fact that school is nota place of work and children's are not workers. School is to get know- ledge and to develop them self's but the scenario is exactly opposite because of this heavy bags and hectic schedule future of nation suffering from physical and mental stress.

Here is a one best simple suggestion to all parents who love their children just going to school with those hefty bags will not develop your children's for that they need proper health and physique and for that we have reduce burden of these heavy bags from their shoulder so they can save energy to read the book or else they will lose their all energy in carrying those heavy bags.

The great nelson Mandela has said "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" but because of these heavy bags and hectic school schedule education itself acting as a weapon against children's growth and their future.

One cannot strongly say caring, loving &affectionate the child unless we reduce the weight of bags for the school going children's and increase the knowledge for a better tomorrow.

Wake up parents and dear teachers- let us remember that "The quality of education is more important than the weight they carry and education and health of the students goes hand-in-hand"