Books being burden

Good morning everyone present here. Distinguished guests, learned jury,

and my dear fellow students, I stand here to expatiate on ‘Are Boos Burden’,
and I am going to speak against it.

I strongly feel books are one of the best blessings of life. life’s all wisdom is
written in books. They are man’s best support system. If there were no
books, man would remain in utter darkness. Thinking books as burden is
sheer folly and ignorance.

Undoubtedly books are man’s best companions. Books are written by men
and women of deep knowledge gained from a long experience. Books give us
knowledge, wisdom, vocabulary enrichment, ideas collection, familiarization
with different types of writing formats, speaking fluency, imagination,
intuition, reasoning skills, etc.

All great men and women have been great readers. In her novel THE STORY
OF MY LIFE Helen Keller tells us the magic of reading books. Helen plays a
glowing panegyric to books and the enlightening role they played in her
otherwise dark life. In chapter 21 of her novel ‘The Story of My Life’ she
shares with the audience the deep influence she had from the books since
her childhood. She calls books her ‘friends’.

It is true a person who has the reading habit, never feels lonely and bored.
The books open up a magical world for him or her and he lives among
angels in the pages of the books. Books never let go the readers astray. They
make them wise and pragmatic. We must endeavour to develop this
fabulous habit of reading. We must also encourage the children to develop
love for books. We should keep lots of good books around them.

I conclude my speech by saying that books are not burden; rather they
reduce many other burdens in man’s life.
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aqibkincsemGenius

Books are burden because in our today’s life study becomes the main factor
without which no one can able to progress because if you do your study well
you can get good result which can help you to move forward and on the
other hand this study quality is totally based on bookish knowledge and for
that books are required.

But this becomes burden for today’s students. They are facing lots of
problems especially mental pressure and they are showing off themselves
and come for rat race.

R Burden of Books on Students

Loading students with burden of books will only make them beasts of
burden, not augment their intelligence in any way! The books are delightful
objects to be handled with mind, not to be carried as burden!

The way out of this problem is proper management of education and

introduction of latest and scientifically approved teaching learning
techniques by some really enlightened educationists. Books have become
redundant in the modern times when through technology they can be made
so light and easy to use by converting them into soft copies. All the syllabus
books must be available on the smart boards; students love to learn in
colourful manner with images, sound and related videos.

Let's use new innovative techniques to make their time-table using time-
table making software. There must not be any repetitive periods that make
studies boring. Instead there must be proper breaks and refreshing periods
such as library, dance, singing, sports, and art periods interspersed wisely
among the time-table.

If the problem is unsolved, it is because of the lack of initiative from those

responsible for the efficient management of educational system. The poor
students are unnecessarily suffering on account of the lethargic and
unimaginative managers, principals, teachers and other concerned
academicians. It is the bounden duty of all the teachers and educationists to
reveal to the children the magic world of books. Books are not burden at all;
rather they are the storehouse of infinite knowledge.

For schoolgoers in India, life is about lugging heavy bags stuffed with books,
spending long hours at school with little time and space to play during the recess,
private coaching after school, followed by hours devoted to homework. What such
a gruelling schedule has achieved is for everyone to see. A system that encourages
learning by rote has robbed millions of boys and girls of their childhood and
stunted their physical and intellectual growth. The constant pressure of living up to
the expectations of parents has added to the children’s stress and anxiety. In such a
hostile milieu, the primary purpose of education — to enlighten minds and
stimulate creativity — is defeated.
Against this backdrop, the revelation that secondary students in India are saddled
with an additional 21 days of school, with six hours of classroom teaching every
day, unlike their peers in an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) country, shouldn’t raise eyebrows. On the contrary, it must
have made Indian parents happy that their children have an edge over these foreign
students because of those extra hours at school.

The global issue of the number of hours to be spent at school has been a
contentious one, with countries formulating their own rules. For instance, in
Australia, France and Italy, kids and adolescents spend even more time in school
than those in India.

What has recently stoked the debate in this country is the Maharashtra
government’s instruction to schools on the number of days and hours they should
devote to teaching. Armed with the Right to Education Act, the state government
has asked schools to teach children in standard I-V for 800 hours over 200 days.
For secondary students (VI-VIII), it’s 1,000 hours spread over 220 days.

However, what should have been the focus of government’s efforts is to improve
the quality of education and do away with hackneyed modes of imparting lessons.
The classroom set-up calls for teachers to deliver sermons instead of encouraging
an interactive style that inspires students to think independently and question the
theories they are asked to copy from the board and learn verbatim.

Little wonder then, that attending school is more of a chore. The fun and
excitement of learning is lost in the drudgery. Yet, all it takes to break away from
this pedantic style is some imagination.

Trips to the museum and planetarium, slide shows and movies can work wonders.
There is little to gain by adhering strictly to text books.

For long-term benefits, what the country needs is complete overhaul of the
education system. For starters, we need good teachers, right from the primary
level. In August 2010, HRD minister Kapil Sibal had expressed concerns about the
need to have 1.2 million teachers countrywide. But indiscriminate hiring can have
disastrous effects, evident in Bihar where 8,000 primary school teachers in the
same year failed to answer basic questions on science, maths, English and Hindi.

Look at how China has built its human capital at surprising speed. In OECD’s
2012 Programme of International Student Assessment of 15-year-olds (PISA) in
maths, science and reading, students in Shanghai were found to have a two-and-a-
half year education lead over American students. Such drastic improvements in a
country that was lagging behind India in education till a few years ago could only
have come about from sustained funding and a close monitoring of the educational
system. Are we willing to put in money and resources where it truly matters?
Bhopal: While it is already a topic of debate that students are weighed down by school
bags, the educational institutions are adding more burden on their shoulders by
introducing new books which parents find unnecessary. Class-wise grammar, activities
books, reader books, general knowledge (GK) dictionary and drawing-cum-painting
material are a few new additions increasing burden on students and burning a hole their
parents’ pockets.

Private book publishers again have managed to convince the schools to introduce new
books in the new academic sessions. The parents have no option but to purchase these
books in addition to subject books as prescribed by National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT).

These books cost higher than the subject books, complained parents. General
knowledge (GK), Sanskrit grammar, English grammar and paintings-cum-drawing copies
in glaze paper are among the books that have been added to the syllabus. Every year a
dictionary is included in book lists class-wise.

While these new books are included in the syllabus, teachers in many schools never get
time to team from them, complained parents, who had come to purchase books at MP
Nagar. A parent informed that in St Joseph Convent senior School, English syllabus of
class 8th comprises Communicate in English which is priced at Rs 460, activity book
costs Rs 290, Assignment in English is for Rs 380 and Literature reader is costing Rs
180.

Similarly, a book Living in Harmony costs Rs 205, GK costs Rs 270 and a book
“Anybody can draw” costs Rs 249, this is all in addition to the subject books, the
student’s parent informed.
At Carmel Convent BHEL, English books of 8th standard include Multi-skills English
reader-Rs 410, grammar composition-Rs 298, GK-Rs 250. Here Hindi books including
grammar and main subject book cost Rs 710(Rs 328 and Rs 382 respectively). Creation
book comes for Rs 195. Similarly, Sanskrit book costs Rs 250 and while Sanskrit
grammar has been priced at Rs 289, elaborated another person.

A student’s father Manoj Tiwari, said, ”We do not have any option but to purchase the
NCERT and other books. Schools management is unnecessary increasing burden on
children as these books have increased mental stress on students,” said Tiwari.

We parent have to spend a lot more money on these new books, said Tiwari, adding that
school management should focus on main subjects, rather than burdening the child.

Shradha, who had come to purchase the books in MP Nagar, said, “most of the these
books are not taught in school but students are pressurised to purchase them. Teachers
do not have time to teach these books.” Class-wise grammar, GK and dictionary and
such other books are unnecessary, while they have added to child’s burden it has also
affected us financially, said the woman.

WHY are our primary school children afraid of school? I am sure carrying heavy bags full of
books is one of the reasons. They are forced to bring the books to school every day on the
instructions of teachers. For me, the size of books is not the basic reason for the problem and
the solution of any problem should start from the root cause.

The size and volume of books often reflect their quality and good design. Increase in pages
means more descriptive photos, which will make learning easy and interesting for small
children. Printing of books on glossy paper would keep them for long time and protect them
from damage. It will also make books attractive to students and interesting to read.

Then where is the problem? Why don’t we think of keeping the books at homes instead of
taking them to schools? The answer is that the teacher wants to make use of the books
because it contains questions for students to answer. The teacher wanted his students to
answer those questions during class hours after explaining the lesson and he/she wanted to
correct the answers.

My innocent question is why doesn’t the teacher ask his/her students different questions
without using books, giving children new ideas and thoughts? The answer is the teacher does
not want to write down new questions when they are available in books and he wanted to
show his work to supervisors and school principal by correcting answers in the book and this
has become an acceptable practice.

But school authorities are not concerned whether the student answered the questions given by
the teacher after understanding the lesson or not. The teacher is required to show photos in
the book while explaining the lesson. This is an easy method. But the same teacher will be
able to show those pictures by using a projector or taking large size photocopies of the
pictures. Sincere teachers used to do that in the past. There is no doubt that a teacher would
be able to make use of the enlarged pictures during classes in the coming academic years as
long as the subject is taught.
Unfortunately the teachers, school principals and supervisors are not prepared to follow this
painstaking methodology and they preferred the schoolchildren to take that burden on their
behalf by carrying huge books everyday to school. I would like to tell our teachers that they
should fear Allah in taking care of their students and ask them to leave their books at home.

It’s the right place to keep the books as the small children would be able to study them with
the support of their parents or their elder siblings. This will also give teachers an opportunity
to show their creativity due to non-availability of books with students during class hours.
This is a revolutionary concept and it is high time we apply this system in our schools.

I would like to request school principals, academic supervisors and guides to check the
capabilities of teachers in imparting knowledge to their students, other than correcting
answers in their books. They should use other indicators and parameters for this purpose.
They should also check a teacher’s instruction materials and activities and ask students about
their performance. A supervisor will get a correct picture of a teacher when he asks students
about his/her performance.

I would like to request the Education Ministry to print books of intermediate and secondary
classes after dividing them into small portions so that students will be able to carry them
without any difficulty. In fact, some students have divided their huge books to carry those
portions that are taught and keep the rest at home. I hope the ministry would follow this good
example.
Many people will still remember the speech that R.K. Narayan, the
famous novelist, had made in the parliament. He said that his heart
bled whenever he saw young boys and girls going to school laden
with books which they could hardly carry. This burden did not
improve their minds; it only made them hunch backs.

Heavy back packs are one of the most distressing and unpleasant
aspects of school life for many children. The heavy weights of
books make school going drudgery and irksome. This goes contrary
to the current trend, which insists that the learning process should
be fun. Children who do not have to carry heavy loads, such as the
resident borders, are more relaxed and at ease than those who
have to carry heavy backpacks to school. Similarly one of the
appealing aspects of college life for kids is that they do not have to
shoulder the burden of heavy books.

Heavy bags cause stress on the spine, back and shoulders,

resulting in muscular pain, fatigue and strain. The excessive weight
in bags may cause a child to develop poor posture or slouch
excessively. |

|
Look for the following warning symptoms that a school bag is too
heavy

• Tingling and numbness in arm

• Pain while wearing the backpack
• Struggling when putting on or taking off the backpack
• Change in posture when wearing the backpack

Problems caused by heavy school bags

Lifting heavy burdens for a long time or distance isn't good for
anyone, least of all children. A recent study found that half of the
schoolchildren studied had pain in the back or shoulders. The
researchers also found that children in lower grades carried heavier
bags. Carrying a heavy bag on the back causes forward leaning
and bad posture, which can lead to improper weight bearing on the
spine, and pains and aches in the back and shoulders. Carrying a
backpack weighing 15% of body weight makes a child or
adolescent unable to maintain proper standing posture. Children
could get into bad habits like poor posture...
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Two students threaten to go on a hunger strike till their

demand for lighter bags are fulfilled
Burdened with heavy school bags, two seventh grade boys held a press
conference to highlight the plight of students who carry a load of 5—7 kg
daily to attend classes.
Media persons at the local Press Club were taken aback on Monday when
the duo from local Vidya Niketan School, walked in and expressed their
desire to hold a conference on the daily hardships they face due to the
burdensome bags.
“We carry a minimum of 16 books for 8 subjects daily and sometimes
their number increases to 18 or 20, depending upon the subjects for which
the classes would be held for the day. Our school bags weigh between 5
and 7 kg and its exhausting to carry them to our classroom located on the
third floor,” the boys, aged around 12 years, told reporters here.
As per the directives of Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government
had earlier this year issued a circular issuing guidelines on reduction of
weight of school bags on the recommendations of a committee.
The state had informed the High Court that it had also fixed the
responsibility on principals and school management to follow the circular
and would take action against those not obeying this rule.
To a query, whether the students were aware about the circular, they
replied in negative.
The boys also offered some alternatives to resolve this problem. They
suggested that the authorities make arrangements for keeping their daily
work books in school or reduce the number of periods per day. “There are
8 periods a day on average for which we have to carry textbooks for each
subject along with their respective work books. In addition, few more
books also need to be carried, on some of the week days, which prove to
be cumbersome,” they said.

When asked if the school fails to address the grievance, the two said they
would go on a hunger strike till their demands are fulfilled.PTI

We had given applications to our principal to consider reducing the weight

of school bags a couple of times but the same failed to evoke any response.
Despite the tall claims of the government of taking several measures to reduce burden of school bags

on the young children and making learning a fun, it is not an uncommon sight to see small kids carrying

heavy school bags on their tender and delicate shoulders.Ideally,a filled in backpack carried by a child

should not weigh more than 10% of the weight of the child.For example, a child weighing 30 kg should

ideally carry around 2.5 to 3.0 kg bag containing books, notebooks, lunchbox,water bottle, pencil box

etc.But children are made to carry much heavier bags which cause stress on the spine, back and

shoulder resulting in muscular pain, fatigue and pain.To carry a heavy bag a child has to lean forward,

which leads to bad posture.The warning signals in children triggered by heavy school bag include

tingling and numbness in arms, pain while carrying heavy bags and breathing problem s due to pressure

on lungs.Children carrying bags having one strip only are vulnerable to even more severe risks.Carrying

a one strip bag may put weight one shoulder causing sideways deviation of the spine leading to

longlasting backaches and spine damage.In other words, a heavy bag puts the child’s health and

physical development at risk and can hamper his/her overall growth.

Parents and school authorities must realise the serious consequences of forcing the small children to

carry the heavy school bags and take urgent measures to ensure their good health and proper

development.For this purpose, the parents should buy comfortable bags having padded and broad

straps for their child.They should ensure that the bag they buy for their child should not have only one

strip and it should be appropriate to the child’s age and size.It should have a moulded frame and

adjustable hip strap so that the weight of the bag rests on the child’ s pelvic region instead of shoulder

and spine.Canvas bags, being lighter should be preferred to leather bags.The backpack is an ideal

choice and it should have separate compartments for lunch box, water bottle, pencil box etc.Heavy items

should be packed in the outer pockets.Unnecessary items such as extra books, notebooks, sports k it

should be avoided.

The government and teachers too can contribute a lot in reducing the burden on students.Bagless

schooling should be introduced for students reading in nursery, KG, and first standard.Government and

schools need to make arrangements for lockers in the schools and students upto the 2nd standard

should not be allowed to bring their books to the schools. Either homework should not be alloted or it

should be completed in the school itself. Children reading in upper primary and secondery cl asses

should also be asked to keep their extra books and notebooks in the lockers in the schools. Timetable

should be framed in such a manner that ,students are mot required to bring all the books and notebooks

everyday. Students should not be penalised for failing to bring textbooks as what they generrally do is to

bring all textbooks everyday to mini mise the chances of being punished. Publishers should be asked to

use thinner and lighter paper to publish textbooks especially for Pre Primary and lower lower Primary

classes.Paperback books need to be preferred to hardbound books for higher classes.Children should

be encouraged and motivated to devote more time in the laboratory and library to develop the habit of
learning by doing and reading.

Focus should be given on developing the thinking and analysing ability of the students rather than their

capacity to memorise facts by rote learning.It is certainly better to load the students with ideas than

loading them with books and notebooks. Juvenile Justice Board should ensure that its directions are

implemented by the government run and private schools in letter and spirit and those violating the

directions need to be awarded deterrent punishment to give justice to the innocent children.NGOs

working for the welfare of children too need to play an active role for protecting the rights of children

Suggest some measures to

and ensure that their childhood is not snatched by the ov

reduce the burden of heavy schoolbags.

With the increasing pressure of studies on the kids, their school bags are also getting
heavier year after year. There are almost about 15 – 20 books that a child has to
carry daily. Not only does the child have to carry books, but also has to take a water
bottle, lunch boxes making it all the more heavier. With the burden of heavy bags, at
a very young age they are already suffering from back, shoulder and neck pains.
Recently in Mysore, people thought of initiating some initiatives to reduce the burden
of school bags. Let’s us also see some initiatives that can be taken to reduce the
weight of the school bags.

Most of the books that are used in school are required on a daily basis, so the school
or the subject teacher can ask the children to leave that particular book in the school,
and can carry only those books which are not required daily. There are numerous
schools opened in Maharashtra and Gujarat, where right from the first day of
admission, the children is not allowed to carry even a single book back home. It is a
morning to evening school, where in the first half teachers teach and then everyday
there is an extra – curricular activity that takes place and lastly, the teachers make
the students do their homework and are then sent home. This is also a good way to
reduce the burden of backpack from the children’s shoulder. Now – a days it has
been observed that the school bags are made with a trolley attached so that they do
not have to put the bag on their shoulder rather they can drag it around in the school,
although these kinds of bags are on an expensive side but parents prefer to spend
on this rather than seeing the child in pain forever.

The schools can provide private locker to each child, where they can keep their
books which they require on a daily basis and carry only those 1 – 2 books which are
new subjects daily. It is the technology age, so instead of teaching through books,
the lessons can be taught through Power Point Presentations and the notes are
given to them in a pen drive, this will also help in reducing the load of the students.
The students shall be allowed to carry their diary home on a daily basis to enable the
parents to keep a track of their child. Also for higher classes, the teachers can give
home-work on a worksheet or a full – scape paper and the child can take only that
particular textbook to home, the number of home assignments should not be more
than 2 – 3 assignments.

The above mentioned ways can be applied and tested to see if these ways are
hampering the child’s education. It is extremely necessary to reduce the weight of
backpacks of children as they are suffering from permanent back, shoulder and neck
pain because of the weights, additionally since their body bones and muscles are yet
in a developing condition, the weights can hamper their growth and shape
permanently.
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Discussion

 RE: Suggest some measures to reduce the burden of heavy schoolbags. -Deepa
Kaushik (04/22/14)
 The school education in India is still book oriented and highly impractical. Children gain
good marks with respect to their reports, but hardly have any knowledge to implement
the same topic in the practical life. If schools go a bit practical in their teaching, then the
heavy school bags could be relieved and children can learn more rather than mugging
up.

Schools should have the provision for the kids to keep their books and unwanted notes
with regard to their home assignment, in the class in their respective lockers. The home
assignment should be the practical application of the same taught matter, so that
teachers can judge the extent of grasping of each kid. This would also raise special
interests among the kids for the subjects.

Some higher noted schools have also started with the power-point teachings and home-
assignments in the pen drives. These kids don’t require to carry heavy loads from home
to school and vice versa. But this form of application is much sophisticated for every
 Indian family to tolerate.

There can be another way, if the books be provided on the soft copy to the kids to be
used into the class. This could help them avoid carrying the books all way to their
schools.

Related Content
er ambitious parents and overzealous teachers and they grow into intellectually sound and physically fit adults.

Issue of heavy school bags

Heavy School Bags are a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of the students. It has a
severe, adverse physical effect on the growing children which can cause damage to their
vertebral column and knees. It also causes anxiety in them. Moreover, in the schools which
are functioning in multistoried buildings, the children have to climb the steps with heavy
School Bags, which further aggravates the problem and health consequences.
This heavy load is caused by the fact that the children bring textbooks, guides, home work
notebooks, rough work notebooks etc., to the classroom every day. Therefore, clear
Guidelines of what to bring to the schools is required.
The load of a School Bag, as estimated in some of the Telangana districts, weighs about 6
to 12 Kgs at Primary level and 12 to 17 Kgs at High School level.
The Telangana state government hence took up a survey on the School Bag load in some of
the districts. Based on the Survey, an exercise has been taken up to arrive at the proper
load of the School Bags and a Policy on home work and assignments. A Guideline has also
been issued by the Telangana state government directing the Managements under the
Government, Local Bodies, Aided and Un-Aided Private Schools in the State to implement
these Guidelines to reduce the load of the School Bags for Classes I to X, with effect from
the Academic Year, 2017-18, onward.

General guidelines to reduce the load of school bags

1. All the schools following the State Curriculum have to follow the textbooks prescribed by the
State Academic Authority i.e., SCERT, Government of Telangana. The number of textbooks
in different classes should not exceed the number prescribed by the SCERT for the
corresponding class.
2. Schools should focus on making the children understand concepts rather than just
memorising the concepts. Freedom should be given to the children to read, comprehend and
express for themselves.
3. Schools should avoid repeated copying from the text books / guide books during and after
the school hours.
4. Reading library books and participation in Games, Sports, Art & Culture and other creative,
co-curricular activities for holistic development of the children must be encouraged.
5. Feedback on the assessment and the performance of the children is a must to improve the
performance of the students and also the teachers. The use of Guides and Guide type study
material should be avoided and children should be made to think, imagine and construct
their own answers.
6. The subject-wise Guides or Guide type study material/workbooks are not to be used as
stipulated vide G.O.Ms.No.17, School Education (PE-Prog.II) Department,
dated.14.05.2014. Children are expected to write answers to the questions and other tasks
given in the text books on their own to be corrected by the teachers.
7. Strict adherence of the Academic Calendar in terms of the school timings, examination
schedule, nature of assessments, CCE etc. is required.
8. Games and Sports in the evenings must be encouraged rather than engaging the children
again in tuitions and homework only. Recreation and physical activity is a must for a growing
child and it is the right of the children.

Guidelines for Primary Schools

1. Three textbooks have been prescribed for Classes I & II i.e., Mother Tongue, English,
Mathematics and four textbooks have been prescribed for Classes III to V i.e., Mother
Tongue, English, Mathematics and Environmental Studies by the State Academic Authority
i.e., SCERT, which should be followed.
2. There should be one note book of 100 pages for each subject for under- taking Formative
Assessment items such as textbook exercises, projects, slip tests etc. This too the children
need not bring everyday to the school. Two subjects per week i.e., @ 3 days per subject
shall be prescribed along with two 100 pages double ruled note books for improving the
handwriting.
3. The schools should provide safe drinking water to avoid children getting drinking water
bottles from their houses.
4. There shall not be any homework for primary grade children i.e., from Classes I to V. All the
work pertaining to exercises given at the end of each unit/lesson in the text books, should be
done during the school hours under the supervision of the teachers. Separate periods should
be allocated for undertaking exercise part in the class itself after completion of the teaching
of the particular unit/lesson. Enough time for this practice should be made available in the
school time table itself.
5. The weight of the School Bag has been calculated as per the above Guidelines and found
that by including the textbooks and notebooks and the weight of the empty School Bag for
 Classes I & II, is should not exceed 1.5 Kg and with regard to Classes III to V it should be
about 2 to 3 Kg.

Upper Primary Sections and Secondary Schools –

Classes VI & VII and VIII to X
1. As per the State curriculum, six Textbooks have been prescribed for Classes VI & VII i.e., 3
language Textbooks and one Textbook each for Maths, Science and Social Studies. For
Classes VIII to X, there are seven Text books prescribed i.e., 3 language Textbooks and one
textbook each for Maths, Physical Science, Biological Science and Social Studies.
2. There shall be one note book of 200 pages for each subject for under taking Formative
Assessment items such as textbook exercises, projects, slip tests, experiments etc. This too
the children need not bring everyday to the school. There shall be one note book as rough
note book for all the subjects to be brought everyday to the school and used for class work.

Implementation
Primary, Upper Primary and High School are to take the following steps also and inform the
students and parents accordingly and also supervise the implementation of these steps, in
order to reduce the load of the School Bags.
1. Inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to the school
on a particular day.
2. Inform the students and parents regarding appropriate kind of School Bags i.e. which have
broad padded straps for symmetrical distribution of weight.
3. The students should always use both straps for carrying the School Bag and should not sling
the Bag over one shoulder.
4. The students should keep the Bag down while waiting for the school conveyance or in the
school Assembly.
5. The schools must ensure that students carry books only according to the timetable.
6. School Heads should counsel the parents and teachers about the health issues arising out
of the children carrying heavy School Bags to school.
7. Schools should not prescribe additional and supplementary textbooks that are voluminous,
costly and designed in a pedagogically unsound manner other than by SCERT.
8. Students should be encouraged to repack their bags on daily basis and avoid carrying
unnecessary articles, textbooks and workbooks that are not needed.
9. The schools must frequently check the School Bags to ensure that the students are not
carrying heavy Bags with unnecessary material.
Source : GO Ms No 22 Dated 18.07.2017 of the Telangana Government
Page Rating (81 votes)
.14814814815

Bhushan Bharat Aug 08, 2018 03:30 PM

That's really important to reduce the weight of bags from school going kids. Everything is possible and with
the help of technology the classrooms should be equipped with a smart system of education through
computers. It will definitely help in reducing baggage from school going children.

PRASHANT GAIKWAD Jun 05, 2018 01:17 PM

1.TOTAL BAGLESS SCHOOL IS A POSSIBILITY.
2.A SIMPLE SOLUTION:
*CREATE TWO SETS OF TEXT BOOKS, ONE FOR CLASS , THE OTHER FOR HOME.
*STOP USE OF NOTEBOOKS. USE WORKSHEETS/ LOOSE PAPERS INSTEAD AND FILE THESE
PAPERS.
* MONEY SAVED ON BAGS AND NOTEBOOKS ARE INVESTED IN EXTRA SET OF TEXT BOOKS
WHICH ARE USEFUL FOR THREE YEARS.
* NO SCHOOLBAGS THUS WIN-WIN SITUATION.
Amit Rana May 30, 2018 09:09 PM
If school can provide soft copy of books then bag weight can be reduced more than 80%. Providing
children a simple computer tab, which cost minimum.

All the books could be copied on several folders like day wise or as per scheduled provided by school.
When teacher ask for subject then only particular subject can be open as PDF file and start learning.

Similarly a hard copy provided to children, which can used for home learning. When children returned from
school then read books as per their assignment.

Thank you,
*******@gmail.com
Chitra TV May 24, 2018 08:48 PM
Every classroom can have a few sets of USED text books which an be collected from children when they
move to the next class.
These text books can be used in the classroom learning.
Their own set of books can be used for home learning.
Children also learn the value of recycling and value of resources.
Suresh Gajula Feb 16, 2018 08:58 AM
Inspite of several measures taken by the telangana government even after several reminders given to
schools by parents still many schools in sainikpuri, secunderabad area children studying 1 to 5 classes are
instructed by teachers to carry every day 12 to 15 books along with tiffin bag and water bottle and loaded
by homeworks in evenings. Government authorities needs to take action on such schools.

Overweight school bags are ringing alarm bells in Delhi.

With reports emerging that 60 per cent of schoolchildren below 10
years age suffer from orthopaedic ailments due overweight school
bags, concerned activists are all set to raise awareness about the issue
again.
Last week a report was submitted to the Bombay High Court by a
Maharashtra government-appointed committee.
 +1

NGO Uday Foundation has been repeatedly appealing to HRD ministry to frame a policy for
reducing the weight of school bags

The shocking revelation has once again brought to fore the need to
reduce the burden of school bags.
Well-known child rights NGO Uday Foundation — which in
collaboration with the Fortis Hospital two years ago began an online
campaign ‘Save My Back’ that received support from 3,000 netizens
within a week — has now decided to take their fight to each Delhi
school.
“We will station ourselves in front of one school a day, and weigh bags
of children and fix tags on each of them for teachers to see and also to
create awareness,” said Rahul Verma, founder of the NGO.
The NGO has been repeatedly appealing to HRD ministry to frame a
policy for reducing the weight of the bags which is to be made
applicable to all schools in the country.
A large number of school kids carrying heavy bags are falling victims to
temporary as well as permanent medical conditions, such as
backaches, spondylitis, neck pain, deformed skeletons and lung
problems, experts say.
According to a recent report published in the Indian Journal of
Pediatrics, about 30 per cent of school children complain of back pain.
If a child’s school bag weighs more than 15 per cent of the body
weight, the journal notes, it changes the angle of shoulder, neck, trunk
and lower limb, and affects overall posture.
Another study conducted by the Indian Medical Association revealed
that heavy bags can result in permanent disability as growth of the
skeletal system among children occurs during puberty.
It also says that the children carrying bags weighing more than 10 per
cent of their body weight have been found to have poorer lung
function.
In a shocking incident in February 2013, a Class 6 student of a school
in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar area fell to his death after losing balance
while leaning over a railing due to the weight of his near-13 kg bag.
Celina Mathew, a parent, said: “As an adult I suffer from shoulder pain
often when carrying just a handbag of maybe 1-2 kilos.
"It is so hard for a kid to carry the heavy bag to school and climb
several floors to reach the classroom.”
Delhi High Court had in January 2012 asked schools to take steps to
ensure that the bags do not exceed 10 per cent of a child's body
weight.
The court had also said kids shall not be burdened with homework till
Class 1.
The Ashok Ganguly Committee constituted by the court suggested that
there should be no books in the bag in pre-school classes, and that
children should only carry a lunch box and play materials.
IMMEDIATE TRIGGER
■ A Maharashtra government report to Bombay HC on July 4 said
children are carrying school bags which are 20-30 per cent
heavier than their weight, due to which around 60 per cent
students suffer
■ Backaches, spondylitis, deformity in spine and lung problems
are common ailments
■ “Soon children will have to carry trolleybags as backpacks
won’t be sufficient”, said the judges
■ Court suggested that e-classroom, audiovisual technology and
other technological means should be put to optimum use for
teaching in schools

THE SOLUTION
■ The concept of carrying bags is only seen in India. Most
countries provide children with lockers in schools so that they
need not carry books to school every day
■ Teachers should follow a strict time table. Students need to be
informed well in advance about the books that need to be carried
the next day
■ In countries like the U.S., Australia and Germany, students are
provided with e-books and I-pads
■ Homeworks should be sent and received online by schools
whenever it is possible

GUIDANCE
■ A panel headed by the well-known educator and scientist had in
1993 asked NCERT to rework school syllabus to reduce the load
of books
■ The CBSE in 2004 framed guidelines to reduce the load but it
remained on paper
■ The panel said school bags for classes 1 and 2 should not
weigh more than 2 kg
■ For classes 3 and 4, the bag's weight should be less than 3 kg,
and those studying in classes 5 to 8 shouldn't carry bags that are
more than 4 kg
■ The upper limit for senior classes from 9 to 12 has been set at 6
kg. But so far none of the guidelines have been implemented by
schools

CBSE guidelines remain on paper

By MAIL TODAY BUREAU
While the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it
clear in its affiliation by-laws that no school will allow school bags and
homework for students up to Class II, children can still be seen lining
up at bus stops with bags half their size.
According to these CBSE rules, affiliated schools will not prescribe
textbooks other than those prescribed by the NCERT. But the
implementation of these guidelines remains poor with just a handful of
schools taking them seriously.
The issue of heavy school bags, however, is not something new. The
Yashpal Committee, in its report in 1993, had come out with
suggestions to lessen the load of school bags.
It spoke about the need for concise books that use graphics instead of
verbose texts to explain concepts, the need to split books in to two
halves for two terms and to eliminate the need of textbooks in primary
classes altogether. In 2014, the department of education (DoE), Delhi
government, issued guidelines for principals and parents.
The recommendations, which range from teaching children “correct
lifting and carrying techniques” to buying “child-friendly bags”, have
been drafted by a committee formed by the DoE especially for this
purpose.
"Besides devising proper timetables for students to “ensure equitable
distribution of weight of school bags”, the DoE has asked schools to
“discourage children from bringing reference books” and to “plan a
staggered homework schedule”.
The weight of school bags is now on the rise, with kids carrying heavy bags with books,
sports equipments, shoes, musical instruments and many more, to attend after-school
activities. Back pain in children must not be ignored if it is related to heavy school bags as
the weight of the bag can cause permanent deformity of spine.

Various studies have shown carrying a school bag that weighs 10% more than the child’s
body weight has led to pain in the lower back, shoulders and hands.

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The sad part is that parents may dismiss these back pains as growing pains, wrong posture,
sedentary lifestyle and other reasons. Until recent years, not much attention has been paid
both by parents and school to the link between weight of school bag and the child’s growing
muscles, backbone and spine. Surprisingly, this problem has been identified by the bag
manufacturing companies who have come up with beautiful creations of kids’ school bags on
wheels and trolley school bags.

While each country or region may have its own specification of how much weight a student
can carry, it has generally been agreed that a child or an adult must not carry a bag that
weighs more than 10-15% of the person’s body weight.

Solutions for Heavy School Bags

Get the right bag

1. A backpack, rather than a shoulder bag, is ideal for school as it helps distribute the weight
evenly. Backpacks with two straps are more preferable. A one-side backpack can cause a lot
of strain on the side it is habitually carried.

2. The backpack has to be made of light-weight material so that it does not contribute to the
total weight of the bag.

3. The straps of the backpack have to be thick. They have to be adjusted in such a way that
the thick part coincides with the shoulder. This gives a cushioning effect on the shoulder for
the weight it bears.

4. The height of the backpack should not exceed 4 inches below the child’s waistline.

5. A waist-clip in the bag can help position the bag close to the child’s back.

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6. The straps of the backpack have to be evenly spaced, but not dig into the child’s shoulders.

7. A school bag with wheels is heavier than one that does not have wheels and handle. But if
the child does not need to climb stairs or carry the bag for any other reasons, trolley school
bags are the best bet.

8. Remember, when it comes to choosing the right backpack for kids, function, form and
comfort take over fashion and glamour.
Tips to pack your School Bag

1. Take only the books that are required at school. Some subjects might have more than two
books, and the student must be aware of what topic is meant for that day.

2. Organizing books daily helps to take out the books that will not be used for the particular
day and help reduce the bag weight.

3. Pack only what you can carry. Avoid packing unnecessary things just because the bag can
hold them.

4. Place the heavier books closer to your back. This way, the weight will not be focused on
the shoulders.

5. Make use of the various compartments to put in books, notebooks, stationery and lunch
boxes. This will not only help you find things easily, but also distribute the weight more
evenly.

Posture to carry your School Backpack

1. The position of the backpack must be high over the strong mid-back muscles, not
exceeding more than 4 inches below waistline.

2. The weight of the backpack must be close to the child’s centre-of-mass, that is, as close to
the back as possible.

3. Do not lean forward or backwards when carrying the bag. Maintain a straight back, with
the bag just close to your back.

4. Do not carry the bag on one side, hoping to shift to another when tired. This kind of habit
can bend the backbone sideward because of asymmetric weight distribution.

Parent's contribution towards reducing bag weight

1. Parents should encourage and guide the children in arranging the books required at school.

2. Parents can make it a habit for the child to arrange books on a daily basis.
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3. The extra clutter, bits of papers, broken pencils, etc can be cleaned out once a week.

4. Avoid hard-binding the textbooks. Soft-binding helps maintain the book and also does not
contribute to the weight of the bag.

5. Pouches can be used instead of boxes to carry stationery like pens and pencils.

6. Teach the child to put down the bag while waiting for the bus, during assembly and other
such situations.

Teacher's contributions towards reducing bag weight

1. Teachers can give clear instructions for the study material to be bought the next day.

2. Homework can be given on daily basis, but one subject per day. Allotting a day of the
week for each subject can reduce the number of books to be carried for submitting
homework.

3. Sharing of textbooks can be done with pre-specified partners. One child can bring half the
subject-books and another child can bring another set. So, when the class is being taught, the
two children can share a textbook.
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4. Textbooks for grammar can be avoided and exercises can be done in the notebook.
However, if the textbook comprises of worksheets, then notebook can be avoided.

5. For language subjects, one notebook can be divided into two sections for grammar and
literature, instead of carrying two notebooks.

School's contribution to reduce bag weight

1. Language classes in the timetable can be specified as grammar and literature while making
the timetable, instead of the particular language. For example: English grammar, English
Literature, 2ndlanguage grammar and 2nd language literature.

2. Timetable could be in such a way that double classes are arranged for each subject. For
example: Mathematics on all days, first language and science could alternate with second
language and social sciences each day. This will restrict the number of subjects to three for
the day.

3. Lockers can be used by students to keep the things or books that need not be carried home
every day. Alternatively, the students’ desks can be made with lockers so that the there is no
running over to the locker room in between classes.
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4. Tutorial periods can also help the students complete the homework at school and hand over
the books to the teachers.

A combination of approaches, ideas and suggestions, along with cooperation between parents
and school, can go a long way in reducing the burden of one of the most serious health
hazards of recent times.

Read more on Brainly.in - https://brainly.in/question/1208464#readmoreead more on

Brainly.in - hSome days back there were multiple reports from Telangana’s

Warangal district about a young child collapsing on the school’s stairs due to the

weight of her heavy bag. And, because of a lack of timely attention and delay in

proper medical assistance, she died.

This is not the first time that such an incident has been reported in India. Last year,
there was a case where a school student fell off from the balcony. She had lost her

balance due to a shift in her centre of gravity due to the heavy weight of her school
bag. These are incidentswhich ought to shake the conscience of our nation! But

alas, that doesn’t happen easily in our country.

These kinds of reports are perfectly relatable to people of my generation because

when I was a junior school kid in a village in Kerala’s Palghat district, our school

bags used to weigh as much on a daily basis.

Moreover, some teachers used to achieve a morbid pleasure out of sternly

instructing school kids to carry more and more books even if they weren’t required

for any lessons on that particular day. The pure apathy of the teachers and school

administrations in this regard is pitiable and sickening in most parts of rural India. To

be fair, the top schools in bigger cities of India are a bit more sympathetic and

civilised in this regard.

When the digital age is taking school and university education to a different level by

introducing smart classrooms, online courses, computer-based homework and

assignments using modern technology, there are still numerous schools in rural India

which are reluctant to change their medieval methods of teaching and punishing

young kids.

Recent studies show that the psychological trauma induced from repeated bullying

and corporal punishments from teachers have a lasting negative psychological effect

on school-going kids. After all, it is widely accepted in Social Sciences today that a

disturbed childhood (due to multiple social factors) is one of the most pivotal causes

of severe mental health challenges in later life.

Fortunately, in the Indian education system, there are always few extremely kind and

empathetic teachers in every school to balance the menace of some of the notorious

and psychopathic ones in the same school.

One does not need to know rocket science to understand that some of these school
children, who suffered severe long-term health conditions or fatal injuries, would

have carried a lot of extra load in their school bags just because of their respective

teachers’ archaic attitudes and stern instructions. It is in this respect that top

management in schools, as well as officials dealing with education, need to sit

together to come up with ways to prevent such deplorable incidents from happening

in the future.

Few schools are already taking positive steps in this regard. A

responsible intervention from the education officials as well as respective district

administrations can easily solve this problem in any state or district by making some

minimal changes to the school routine and teaching methods.

In a country like ours which has huge intellectual potential and energy, it is a real

shame that much of the students’ energy gets wasted in carrying tonnes of pages on

their shoulders rather than channelling this productive energy in creative pursuits,

sports or hobbies. Today, students in the developed nations carry their notebooks

and textbooks on a 10 gram USB stick, while in our country, super heavy school

bags are leading to deaths of healthy young kids. It is high time we seriously think

and do something about this.

Having backpacks in class would benefit both students and

teachers.
For starters, students wouldn’t have to worry about going to
lockers, which would prevent them from being tardy. It takes lots
of time to go through the hallways to retrieve class items and still
get to classes on time. Currently, students have to carry every
single notebook to each class or have to rush to their locker
between classes.
Another reason to have backpacks in class is to keep all student
belongings off the tables so there is plenty of room for work.
Backpacks could just hang from the chairs. After all, we use
backpacks on the bus to keep things tidy and safe.
Students would only be wearing backpacks a few times a day,
instead of all day long, so we’d be less likely to have back issues.
It is also proven that if a backpack is really heavy and a student
wears it for a long time, he or she might end up with a back
injury.
There are a few reasons to keep backpacks out of class. I
understand that teachers might be worried about a backpack’s
contents. Students and teachers also wouldn’t have much space to
walk around in the classroom if backpacks are on every chair.
These possible problems do not outweigh the benefits.
Having backpacks would not only benefit the students, but also
the teachers. Since students would have the extra time, they
would be less likely to be late to next period. That would allow
teachers to start class on time and not have to worry about
students coming through the door late.
These are the reasons why we need to make a change at VMSS
and allow backpacks in class.
The Debate: Should students be able to carry backpacks
throughout the school day or does the rule against backpacks
actually make sense for the student body?
Students deserve backpacks during school
Peyton James, Staff Writer
Students should be able to carry their backpacks to and from
every class. There are many benefits of having all school
materials in one place––a backpack––that can travel with
students wherever they need to go.
Currently, students have to either carry every single notebook,
binder, and folder to all eight classes, or make several trips to
their locker throughout the school day. Both options are
inconvenient, and the latter often causes students to be late to
class. If backpacks were allowed to be carried throughout the
school day, it would save time for students, as well as making
teachers happy by making it easier for students to make it to
class on time. Excluding the extra trips to lockers to pick up
textbooks will also give students more time to use the
restroom or get something to eat from the cafeteria, things that
many students currently miss class time to do.
In some cases, it’s convenient to make a stop at your locker
before your next class, but more often than not, the time it
takes to stop at your locker makes it impossible for students to
get to class on time. I have had several cases when I was
coming from a class in the basement to the north building or
towards the language department. Without going to my
locker, I could’ve made it to class with a minute or two to
spare, but since I had to make the extra stop, I was constantly
sprinting to class hoping to make it on time.
Having backpacks would not only benefit students from
receiving endless tardies due to unnecessary trips to their
locker, but the teacher as well. Since students would have
extra time that was usually spent on traveling to their locker,
they would be less likely to be late to class. That would allow
teachers to start class on time and not worry about students
coming through the door late.

“ If backpacks were allowed to be carried throughout the school day, it

would save time for students, as well as making teachers happy by making it easier
for students to make it to class on time.”
— Peyton James
On top of having a different set of materials for every class,
students often misplace something in a different folder or
leave something behind in their locker. Having the privilege
to carry backpacks would allow students to have everything
they need for class and reduce the chance that students are
unprepared for class. They wouldn’t have to stress about
leaving an assignment behind in their locker, or putting their
math homework in the English folder. This would allow
students to have more time and attention to focus on what’s
going on in the classroom rather than worrying about what
they left behind, creating a more relaxing day for students.
Being able to carry backpacks would eliminate the need for
lockers. That means wider hallways all around the school,
allowing students, teachers, and other faculty members to get
to their destination in a very timely manner, significantly
increasing the level of convenience for everyone in school.
Because of all these benefits, students should be able to carry
their backpacks from class to class. It saves time for students,
makes teachers happy, and makes life more convenient for
students throughout their busy school day.
Leave a Comment

Students shouldn’t have backpacks out

during school
Nathanael Ashton-Piper, Staff Writer
While permitted at most schools, carrying a backpack at BSM
outside of first hour is against the rules—barring extenuating
circumstances. Students may think they’re getting
flimflammed by the administration, but in reality, there are
not many reasons why backpacks should be allowed.
Once upon a time, students could carry their backpacks
around to every class. “We used to allow students to carry
their backpacks during school hours. Teachers have always
complained about them clogging up walkways, and I certainly
noticed a reduction in hallway space during passing time,”
senior high Assistant Principal and Dean Mary Andersen said.
In the Fall of 2010, each senior high student received their
own laptop, thus bringing an end to the allowance of
backpacks. “We’d thought about getting rid of [backpacks]
before, and the new laptops definitely made the decision a
lot easier. We also didn’t want computers getting smooshed
in students’ backpacks,” Andersen said.

“ Students may think they’re getting flimflammed by the administration, but in reality, there are not
many reasons why backpacks should be allowed.”
— Nathanael Ashton-Piper

A rebuttal to Ms. Andersen’s point about backpacks clogging

up class walkways might be: well, computer cases, binders,
notebooks, and pencil bags clog up walkways, too. How is
that different from backpacks? “Take your computer bags
and materials and multiply that in size. There’s no arguing
that backpacks take up much more space,” Andersen said.
She’s right; think of Mrs. Leider’s room—one of the smallest
at BSM—filled up with twenty-eight students and their
backpacks—that’d be one tight English class.
There are a couple of myths that float around about why
BSM doesn’t allow students to carry their backpacks. First,
that it’s a fire hazard, and second, that they are bad for
students’ health, in that they cause poor posture in one’s
back. Ms. Andersen confirmed that these are indeed myths.
“I’ve heard the fire hazard more often. A fire hazard is
anything that blocks a passageway in the event of a fire, so
technically backpacks are—but that doesn’t play into why
backpacks aren’t allowed. As for the health reasons, that was
kind of made up years ago when there wasn’t a good
argument against backpacks. I don’t buy into that; it’s not my
job to worry about student’s health over a backpack,”
Andersen said.
There’s one exception to the backpack rule, and that’s if a
student has sustained an injury. “For people with injuries, it
might be tough to continue making trips to their lockers—
and it could cause more pain,” Andersen said. For people
with injuries, carrying around a backpack certainly makes life
a lot easier, but, and I say this from experience, it seems we
milk the injury just to be able to carry our backpacks around
a little longer. Ms. Andersen isn’t oblivious to this; she knows
how we think. “It’s not very hard to distinguish who should
and shouldn’t have a backpack during school. If someone has
even a cast on, carrying a backpack is okay, but once the
injury passes, you all know the rules,” Andersen said.
It’s highly unlikely that any changes will be made to the
backpack rule. “I won’t consider bringing them back. If we
had larger classrooms as a whole [which isn’t possible], we
may be able to accommodate a change, but the way I see it,
why not just get rid of lockers? Carrying a backpack
eliminates that need and gives us more space,” Andersen
said. Getting rid of lockers might sound like a simple solution,
but it’s far from cost effective and would have adverse
effects on our century-old building.
The fact is, there are a number of reasons why the backpack
rule has been put in place, and only one reason we want
them back: our convenience. I hear it all the time—and trust
me, I’ve experienced it, too—what if you have accounting
with Mr. Sabol, and then AP Euro with Mrs. Vroman, or
Wellness in the Haben, then Gov with Mr. Pauly—how are
you going to make it on time? Simple: come prepared for
both classes, and sacrifice the trip to your locker in between.
It would be nice to be able to carry a backpack all the time,
but in reality, they’re not coming back—and there are no
compelling reasons for their return.
ttps: The school boy or girl these days is invariably associated with the
ubiquitous large school bag that gets perched as a backpack whether it is
town, city or village. While their shoes serve the children the whole year,
the bags they carry, generally ...

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