Abu Dhabi/Dubai: With the new academic year and school term having already started, the excitement of going back to school is palpable among youngsters. Yet, many children and their parents have recently expressed concerns about once again having to lug heavy schoolbags to and from school every day.
A number of parents who contacted Gulf News said that their children, who are mostly enrolled at private schools, are forced to take far too many books to school each day. They also claimed that schools were actively discouraging the use of trolley bags for a variety of reasons.
“My son is currently in Grade 6 at an Indian curriculum private school in Abu Dhabi, and he must carry a bag that weighs nearly 10 kilogrammes each day. Even though he plans according to his schedule, there are heavy textbooks and notebooks to carry, and no locker at school where he can leave the ones he does not need at home,” sid M. Ahmad, a 44-year old travel executive from India.
Ahmad told Gulf News that his daughter, enrolled in Grade 3, also has to carry a bag that weighs nearly 8kg.
“Otherwise, she could be punished for not bringing the books. I cannot carry these heavy bags daily, and my children are forced to shoulder the load every morning and every afternoon as they head to the school bus, walk between school buildings and wait for the bus home,” he said.
Trolley bags are an option that would ease the load for children, but the concerned father says the school discourages the use of these, citing the damage done to floors.
“I intend to speak to the school authorities to provide a solution for this soon. So far, I have even taken to training my children in martial arts and other fitness activities before school so that they are ready when school begins,” he said.
Manal Al Khatib, who stays at home to take care of her seven children, expressed similar concerns and said her daughters’ school does not encourage the use of trolley bags either.
“The school authorities said these kinds of bags are bulky and therefore harder to move around. This means that my twin daughters enrolled in Grade 4 must each carry a bag weighing 7 kg. This is far too heavy, so I have bought them trolley bags anyway,” said the Jordanian expatriate.
The private school that Manal’s children attends does not have lockers and the child complain that the load is painful, especially when manoeuvring stairs or getting on or off a bus. “Moreover, teachers don’t always follow class schedules, so my daughters must carry all nine textbooks in addition to notebooks. I worry that carrying these books might be very harmful to their growth in the long run,” she said.
Schoolbags, too, do not last the year because of the weight, and Al Khatib complained that she is forced to buy up to three bags a year for each child.
When contacted, Dr Mohammad Sabry Al Boraee, a senior specialist paediatrician and neonatologist at the University Hospital Sharjah, said children should carry no more than 10 per cent of their body weight on their shoulders.
“Children’s spines are still growing during the school-going years, which is why heavy bags that are poorly designed to distribute the weight negatively affect the natural curve of the spine. This, in turn, strains the shoulders, neck, hips, legs and back, and also causes headaches,” Dr Al Boraee said.
Poor posture is another side-effect of carrying heavy backpacks for long periods of time on a regular basis.
“Heavy bags can also distort children’s sense of balance, causing them to fall off stairs or hurt themselves in other ways,” Dr Al Boraee warned.
Children between the ages of six and 12 years are most affected by heavy backpacks because they are smaller in body mass, and loads are therefore likely to be heavier in proportion, the doctor said.
“Unfortunately, most young patients I encounter don’t know why they may be facing headaches or suffering from poor posture. Parents, too, tend to ignore back pains their children mention. It is only when I question them at length that I find out how carrying heavy loads are to blame,” he added.
Dr Reem Al Ameria, senior officer for health promotion at the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), also recommended that parents contact school authorities and strongly advocate for trolley bags to be allowed.
“In many cases, children feel that trolley bags are ‘uncool’, and then it becomes the responsibility of parents to explain the health hazards of using backpacks, especially those that are slung on one side of the shoulder,” Dr Al Ameria observed.
— Noor Nazzal is an intern at Gulf News
