A file photo of school children. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The case, which was filed by lawyer Moammar Jalal in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), argued the possibility of overweight schoolbags leading to severe health and posture issues among children.
After the hearing, the government and education authorities assured the court that they will present a bill in the assembly for approval.
As specified in a copy of the bill available with The Express Tribune, the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association (ICPA) prescribes that a schoolbag should not exceed more than 15 per cent of a child’s total body weight. An average kindergarten student, who weighs between 15 and 20kgs, should not carry a bag weighing more than 2.25 kgs to 3kgs.
Similarly, an average second grader, weighing between 20 and 23kg, should not be made to carry a school bag which is heavier than 3kg to 3.5 kg per the 15 per cent rule.
Jalal said that he was moved to submit the petition after reading a letter published in a daily newspaper, where the writer complained about his children’s overweight backpacks.
“The writer is a doctor at Karachi’s Shaheed Abbasi Hospital and, in his letter, he spoke about the increasing number of children with spinal complications and back issues caused by heavy bags,” he said. “As a parent myself, I could not help but agree with the writer but sadly, there has been no legislation in K-P to regulate the weight of schoolbags and make sure our children aren’t being saddled with more than what they can safely carry.”
While talking to The Express Tribune, Head of Psychiatry Department Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar Professor Dr Wajid Ali Akhunzada explained that grossly overweight schoolbags not only hamper a child’s physical development but also affect them psychologically.
“Saddling children with heavy schoolbags cause severe spinal deformities and also render the spine vulnerable to future injuries,” he said.
Dr Akhunzada added that heavy schoolbags are believed to be a contributing factor to skeletal symptoms and represent a rather overlooked daily stress for school children. In the long term, children subjected to carrying overweight backpacks can potentially develop imbalances in their postural alignment, which can impact the nervous system.
“When the alignment of the spin is imbalanced, the communication between the brain and the body is adversely affected, which can lead to severe health issues.”
Dr Akhunzada encouraged the government’s decision to table the bill in the provincial assembly and hopes that it will be implemented in schools across the province with urgency.
“As a parent, whose children are made to carry hulking schoolbags, I empathise with the plight of school children. Like other countries, Pakistan should focus on imparting knowledge rather than burdening children with heavy school bags,” he lamented.
According to Advisor to Chief Minister on Education Zia Ullah Bangash, the K-P government will soon present the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa School Bags (Limitation Weight) Bill 2019 in the provincial assembly. He further said that although the bill comes after the decision of the Peshawar High Court, the education department had also received several complaints from concerned parents.
Other than the bill, the education department is also working to review and rethink the entire old curriculum and introduce a more streamlined syllabus to compete with the rest of the world.
“As per the Prime Minister’s vision to introduce new tools and technologies in the education sector, we intend to install lockers across public schools, where students can safely store extra books instead of carrying them around in their bags,” Bangash concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2019.
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