Young schoolchildren staggering under heavy, bulging bags in the morning and after-school hours is a common sight.
Notwithstanding the constant worry of parents at their plight and warnings by doctors that this could lead to serious health issues, sometimes as serious as permanent stoop, poor lung functioning, breathing difficulties and even spinal impairment, the size and weight of the school bag has been increasing by the day.
The good news is that this bulky school bag will soon become a thing of the past as Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials of the School Education Department to work on a ‘weight-loss’ formula for school bags. In his first review meeting with the Education Department, Mr. Reddy made it clear that radical changes should be brought about to make education “less of a burden” and “more meaningful” for children.