Ajman: The Habitat Group of Schools in the UAE said it has developed lighter schoolbags for children in consultation with educationists, medical practitioners, teachers and parents.
The group, which includes International Indian School, Ajman, and Habitat School in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, also reduced the number of books a student needs to carry to the school.
The idea was floated by Shamsu Zaman C. T., the managing director of the school group, who said: “Being a father myself, I have seen how children struggle to carry or pull heavily loaded bags as they go to school. Studies have shown that carrying more than 15 to 20 per cent of their body weight can be damaging to a child’s health. Most of the bags children carry are not designed to address these issues, for instance, very few customised and size-appropriate bags are available in the market. This is what made us think of a new kind of schoolbag.”
The custom-made bag featuring the Habitat Group logo has many features, such as a hip belt and foam rest on the back to support the body, as well as bag handles on the top and lateral side. The bag will also help categorise and identify students as they are made in three different colours and sizes for KG, primary and high school, with a slot for student identity cards.
“The bag is carefully designed and has good features like hip straps which help in distributing the weight of the bag evenly across the back. This will reduce bending of the spine backwards, which otherwise can result in back pain,” said Dr Jamaludin Abu Baker, a paediatrician who is the director of the Metro Medical Centre.
