Advocate leads movement to reduce bag load to school.
Children bending forward under the weight of heavy bags they carry to school is a common sight. It's an ongoing concern for parents and educationists who would rather see the kids hopping along happily for their classes.
Today, high school students carry on an average 15 books, a lunchbox, a water bottle, perhaps even an extra pair of sports shoes on days when there is physical training (PT) that can add up to quite a load on their tender shoulders.
"Children carrying these heavy bags often complain of back ache to their parents or friends. But due to a lack of awareness and governance the problem goes unnoticed," said Jyoti Satra.
The lady is an advocate practising in the Bombay High Court who has founded Stupa World, which has launched the 'No Basta Movement', an initiative towards reducing the loads children carry. (Basta is the Hindi word for bags.)
"Children must be taught how to think and not what to think," said Satra, who believes that simple play therapy without any exam orientation is sufficient to develop their grasping and learning power. The initiative plans to begin with kids under five.
The World Health Organisation's two-word prescription for children under five years is 'active playing'. But this does not seem to have been applied yet in pre-schools in the city.
"Instead of making children carry books to school and back home daily, the authorities must provide proper locker services and work out an appropriate curriculum that ensures the minimum school bag burden for these children," Satra explained.
Medical professionals say carrying such heavy loads daily can lead to restriction of lung growth and slows down the pace of height gain in kids.
Dr Samir Dalwai, developmental paediatrician, told dna, "There is a proportion which clearly states that the bag must not weigh beyond 10 percent of the body weight of the child and this has been laid down by the Kerala High Court,"
Children suffer severe shoulder and spine injury which is responsible for the chronic back pain and fatigue that many of them experience. This also hampers growth of the overall skeletal structure, Dalwai added.
'No Basta Movement' has a simple solution – separate sets of books at school and at home, and children will carry only simple worksheets to school.
Satra is convinced that activity-based learning and maintenance of a fun and frolic filled learning environment will ensure a healthy and smart upbringing for children. The 'No Basta Movement' plans to discuss this matter with the Mumbai university vice-chancellor and even file a public interest litigation to generate public opinion towards a workable solution.
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