• Parents, unionists & educationists complain of the weight of school bags 
• Combine subjects while digitising edu., commonly shared textbooks, school storage, etc. proposed

The main goal of schooling children is to equip them with knowledge and direct them to paths leading towards a better life. In order to achieve education's core objectives, the methods of imparting education to the children should not be harmful to them in any way, be it physical or mental. 

However, considering the physical and psychological impact on the children of having to carry a heavy school bag to school, is a serious issue concerning whether Sri Lanka has been able to equip children with education in a way that is not harmful to them.

Concerned parents

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Nishani Tharaka Rathnayake, a mother of a child studying in the seventh grade of a school in Medawachchiya, said that her son has a total of 26 books including 13 school textbooks and 13 exercise books. Out of the 26 books, she said that 16 books have to be taken to school every day, which is not a weight that a child can bear. "There are two textbooks each for several subjects such as mathematics and science. When buying exercise books, the teachers tell us to buy CR type books. My child is supposed to carry 16 books including eight textbooks and exercise books each, the lunch box, the water bottle, and clothes and other necessary equipment for extracurricular activities. With all these, his school bag weighs around 20 kilograms. How can a child bear this?" She also said that her son is constantly complaining of having to carry such a heavy bag, and even refusing to go to school on certain days due to back pain. If for some reason the children are unable to go to school before the start of the religious observances, she said that the students have to wait in front of the school gate for a few minutes carrying the heavy bag. Rathnayake noted that she takes her son to school every day on a motorcycle, but that the children who come to school walking, cycling or taking the bus are very inconvenienced by this issue. "Some children walk 2-3 kilometres to school. Children travelling on buses often don’t get a seat to sit, so they have to stand on the bus carrying their heavy bag. None of the other commuters sitting on seats take their bags because they are too heavy. The bags cannot be used for at least one year as the children carry a lot of things in it. Most of the parents don’t have the means to buy bags regularly. When they don’t have a proper bag, the children may even skip going to school." 

She further said that the authorities should consider whether there is a real need to teach 13 subjects from Grade Six to Nine when the children have to sit for only nine subjects at the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (O/L) Examination. She added that the problem could be avoided if arrangements are made to teach only essential subjects.

Workable solutions

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the President of the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU), Priyantha Fernando, claimed that the authorities led by the Ministry of Education have failed to implement a permanent programme to reduce the weight of the school bag of children, despite the fact that a committee comprising of medical specialists has very clearly recommended that the weight of school bags should be reduced. According to him, the recommendations made by the committee include: printing textbooks in several parts, giving students the opportunity to keep the workbooks at school, and giving the opportunity to consult textbooks in groups. 

"The school syllabi have not been properly revised for many years. If the syllabi are revised according to the current conditions, we can avoid having to add a lot of content to the school textbooks. Also, there are some subjects that are not essential for school education. Such subjects should be properly evaluated and removed. There are some other subjects that can be combined. For example, subjects like history, citizenship education and geography can be combined to prepare one textbook. These kinds of workable solutions exist for this problem, but the authorities are not implementing them." Fernando also said that the large number of students in the classrooms has also deprived students of the opportunity to engage in educational activities with the minimal use of textbooks. Despite the recommendation that the number of students in a classroom should be only 35, he said that many schools have 50 students in the classrooms, thus, students have lost the opportunity to listen to the teacher well, and they have had to rely on textbooks to learn.

Lessons from other countries

Former Education Ministry Secretary and Vice Chairperson of the National Education Commission, and incumbent Executive Director of the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy (BALPP), Dr. Tara de Mel, who has been instrumental in reforming the country's education sector, also commented to The Daily Morning on the issue as well as the possible solutions. She explained: "The issue of school children having to carry heavy 'luggage' on their shoulders, is nothing new. What is new is that each year, the weight of this luggage has only been increasing. This causes physical damage to the shoulders and the upper back of a growing child, plus adds to the mental burden of having to cope with increasing books and thus study material. At a time when Sri Lanka should endeavour to minimise the headaches (and body aches) that school children go through in the formative years of their childhood and adolescence, the authorities are heaping greater burdens." She said that developed countries with advanced education systems often employ various strategies to minimise the burden of children having to carry large numbers of books to school. Among them are: digital textbooks and resources (schools providing students with access to digital textbooks and resources through laptops, tablets, or other electronic devices. This allows students to access their study materials digitally, reducing the need to carry physical books. In the case of Sri Lanka, where less than 50% of schools have access to suitable devices and Internet connectivity, this would not be a practical solution for all children), online platforms and learning management systems (schools may use online platforms and learning management systems where teachers can upload course materials, assignments, and resources. Students can access these materials from anywhere with Internet access, eliminating the need to carry heavy textbooks), shared or classroom sets of textbooks (instead of requiring every student to have their own copy of a textbook, schools may provide shared sets of textbooks in classrooms or school libraries. This allows students to use the textbooks during class or designated study times without having to carry them back and forth), lockers or storage facilities (schools may provide lockers or storage facilities where students can store their books and other belongings between classes or at the end of the day. This reduces the need for students to carry all of their books with them at all times), curriculum design (some schools may re-evaluate their curriculum and teaching methods to reduce the reliance on physical textbooks. This could involve incorporating more hands-on activities, digital resources, or interactive learning experiences that do not require heavy textbooks. Increased decentralisation, with more devolution of powers to schools could allow this possibility), and parental involvement (schools may encourage parents to support their children by helping them organise their backpacks and prioritise the books and materials that they need for each day. This can help lighten the load and ensure that students are only carrying what is necessary). By implementing such strategies, she said that developed countries aim to alleviate the physical burden on students while still providing access to high quality education materials, to all students in the system, and not just a privileged few.

Health effects

Speaking to The Daily Morning, a member of the media committee of the Government Medical Officers' Association, Dr. Hansamal Weerasuriya, said that carrying heavy loads on a frequent basis can have adverse consequences on anyone's health, and that the same is applicable for school children. "Not every child is carrying a heavy school bag, and not everyone's health is affected by doing so, but, in general, carrying excessive weight can lead to conditions such as those related to spine and back pain."

Resolving moves

When contacted by The Daily Morning, an official of the Ministry of Education stated that the attention of the Ministry has now been focused on the measures that could be taken to reduce the weight of children's school bags. A related circular has been issued by the Ministry's Secretary Wasantha Perera to all principals and it states that as one step to reduce the weight of the school bags, the necessary steps have been taken to print selected textbooks in parts. Making a formal arrangement for students to keep textbooks safely in the classroom, directing students to use textbooks in groups, promoting the maximum use of soft copies of textbooks, maintaining a reserve of reusable textbooks in each classroom and informing the children about the right usage and choosing of the school bags have been proposed through the circular. Noting that certain teachers advise students to use several exercise books for some subjects, the Ministry has informed the relevant parties including principals to advise students to use the minimum number of books as possible to avoid related issues."