India bans homework and heavy schoolbags to prevent spinal damage

Concerned about producing a generation of children with hunched backs and other spine problems, India has denounced schools for making students carry heavy school bags and giving young children homework.


The government has issued weight guidelines for school bags depending on a child’s age, citing studies that show how the load can affect soft, developing spines.
   One survey done by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India found that 68 percent of pre-teen children might suffer from mild back pain, which can develop into chronic back pain, and later into a hunchback.

The study, which covered more than 2,500 children and 1,000 parents in major cities, found that more than 88 percent of children from seven to 13 carry more than 45 percent of their body weight on their backs.

Rashmi Tapke, a mother of two, said heavy school bags reflect poor time-table planning and said she supports the federal initiative.

The state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, mandates that the weight on the bag should not exceed 10 percent of the child’s body weight. Many schools there have started using white boards and projectors to ensure text books are not required to be carried to school.