Heavy weight of School's backpacks is becoming a major concern for the students, their parents and educators. Students carry heavy bags to the schools which results in serious disorders. According to the study, the weight of a bag should be below 10% of a student's weight to avoid problems, but as per the reports the average weight of a student's school bag is 8 kg.
You tend to bend your back and neck forward when you carry a heavy bag. If you keep doing that for a long period it leads to bad posture. It also increases energy consumption and you start developing a structurally bad posture. This could result in decreased pulmonary volume and increase cardio respiratory parameters. However, the common problem is lower back pain. In addition, you can get neck, shoulder and upper back pain, breathing difficulties and postural deformities. Studies also found that the bags weighing 15% of a student’s weight could affect the overall posture of the child. As per reports, officials of the school education department have found that bag load in some of the districts was about 10-12 kgs in primary and 15-17 kgs in high schools.
Heavy weight backpacks can result in serious problems such as:
What can be done to avoid these problems?
1. Only 3 main subjects in a day ought to be conducted, each 2 periods instead of 6 subjects.
2. Lockers should be provided to store sports equipment and books.
3. Restrict backpack stack to less than 5% of the body weight by utilizing school lockers, CDs and USB flash drives.
4. Planning and legitimately conducting a time-table to reduce loading of school bags.
Following rules would be good for the child’s back:
Following measures should be taken:
3. Signs of Heavy backpack- Back, shoulder, and leg pain can all be indicative of a backpack that’s too heavy. First of all, if the pain is extreme or ongoing, your child should see a doctor. Back injuries are exceptional in kids, but not unheard of.
Signs include
4. Pack a separate bag for after school activities and bring it along in the carpool whenever conceivable. If your kid is responsible for getting back and forth to post-school events, at that point see if they can store their spare bag in a classroom, locker, or office until it’s time to go.
Mental Health Day is celebrated the world over on 10th October. For many years, one’s emotional state was not given any importance. In fact, to have an emotional or mental issue was considered to be a sign of weakness and a social stigma, hence was often brushed under the carpet. But now we have realised that mental wellbeing is as important as physical wellbeing and needs to be treated accordingly.
Feelings of loneliness and isolation are common, when we are more connected over social media than physically, and specially in times like this when we are separated from our friends and extended family. Dealing with these kinds of feelings can be a challenge, but most of the time these feelings pass, and we are able to bounce back effectively. When we are emotionally strong, we can make the most of our potential, cope with life’s many challenges and play a full part in our family and social lives.
Being mentally and emotionally healthy then is of utmost importance. Good mental health helps us to achieve a sense of contentment, have the ability to laugh and enjoy light moments, deal with stress in a positive manner, be flexible to change and adapt accordingly, find a healthy work-life balance, have self-confidence and self-esteem, be resilient enough to be able to recover from trauma and setbacks quickly, maintain a positive outlook and find a sense of purpose in life.
To quote Laura Edwards, “If the day ahead feels heavy, and your plans feel like a curse; there is no shame in rearranging, don’t make yourself feel worse. A day is not a lifetime, a rest is not defeat; Don’t think of it as failure, just a quiet, kind retreat. It’s okay to take a moment, from an anxious, fractured mind; The world will not stop turning, while you get realigned. The mountain will still be there, when you want to try again; You can climb it in your own time, just love yourself till then.”
Value and treat yourself with love and acceptance, everything else will fall into place.
- Ms Nalini Samuel
Principal
The Orbis School, Keshavnagar