Shoudamini, a student at the primary level of a renowned school in Dhaka, struggles hard to carry on her tender shoulder an overloaded bag daily. Sometimes she almost cries when it becomes too painful to carry the heavy bag and step up the stairs to reach her classroom on the third floor. On her return trip from school, she walks a few steps to avoid traffic congestion and then takes a rickshaw. She rushes to drop off her bag and jumps into bed for a rest. On some occasions, she doesn't even have the stamina to wait for a change of school uniform and wash her hands and face before lying down on the bed to give her some relief. Sadly, she is not alone. Thousands of students like her have been going through the torture of carrying overweight bags daily as if it is an essential part of the education in the country.
Neither the government nor the school authorities have time to pay attention to this issue, although it is taking a heavy toll on the physical growth of children. Students of primary levels are the main victims of overweight bags. Though there are some alternatives to avoiding overweight bags, nobody is there to look into the matter seriously and think about the future of children who are now experiencing pain in the upper body involving their neck, shoulders and tender back.
The problem is not unique to Bangladesh, as school-going students in India and Pakistan are also facing a similar situation in South Asia, with the authorities in all these countries remaining indifferent to this problem. It was only five years ago that the Indian government issued 'Policy on School Bag 2020', setting age-wise weights of school bags along with an instruction that a school bag should be lightweight with two padded and adjustable straps that can squarely fit on both shoulders. The policy also outlined the duration of home tasks and the weights of printed textbooks. In Bangladesh, the High Court ordered a decade ago that the weight of a school bag must not be more than 10 per cent of the student's physical weight. There is, however, no tool to monitor how the schools are complying with the HC order.
Physicians have long argued that carrying heavy bags over one shoulder is a wrong practice, as it strains muscles. The spine leans to the opposite side, stressing the middle back, ribs, and lower back more on one side than the other. This muscle imbalance can cause muscle strain, muscle spasm and back pain. Medical professionals also added that one of the major reasons for cervical and lumbar pains is overloaded bags. The posture of the body is also affected, leading to unbalanced development in the long run.
Despite knowing all these adverse effects on children's health, parents and guardians seem helpless as they are forced to abide by the conditions set by the schools to carry a number of books and exercise books. Schools are not ready to ensure safe drinking water, let alone provide lockers and cupboards for students to keep their extra books and belongings. There is no practice of sharing textbooks in classes, so all students do not need to carry all the books. Why do children have to maintain separate class rough khatas or exercise books for each subject? Why do they have to deliver home tasks every day? The reckless and unhealthy competition to achieve higher test scores has been driving students, guardians, and teachers to do the extra works.
Then there is a commercial purpose of some vested interest groups, including exercise book sellers and school bag vendors, to keep the unacceptable and unhealthy practice of carrying overloaded bags in place. There is a nexus between school authorities and stationeries and libraries. It seems that the interim government has no time to pay attention to this issue but it is a serious one that needs to be addressed in the interest of the young ones who will take over from the older generation.
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