Smart boards, tablets and digital classrooms are now common in Indian schools—but for many children, the daily burden of heavy schoolbags remains unchanged.
That contradiction came into sharp focus after a parent’s viral post showed his 6-year-old Class 1 son carrying a 4.5-kg school bag. The child weighs just 21 kg, meaning the bag alone amounted to over 20% of his body weight—double the safe limit recommended by health and education guidelines.
The image, shared by the child’s father on social media, showed the bulky bag, textbooks and lunchbox placed on a weighing scale. It quickly struck a nerve with parents across the country.
“Check how much your child is carrying,” the father urged—an appeal that resonated far beyond one classroom.
What followed was not just outrage, but recognition. Parents from Delhi, Gurugram and other cities shared similar experiences.
Many spoke of young children bending forward just to balance their bags, complaining of shoulder pain, back strain and fatigue—often dismissed by schools as “normal”.
Some parents reported primary school children carrying 6 to 10 kg bags daily, citing lack of lockers, rigid timetables and the requirement to bring all textbooks to school every day.
For most families, this is not an exception—it’s routine.
Medical experts have long cautioned against the impact of heavy loads on developing bodies.
Paediatric specialists warn that excessive weight on growing spines can lead to chronic back pain, posture deformities, muscle strain and long-term spinal issues that may persist into adulthood.
“The damage doesn’t always show immediately. It accumulates over time,” said a paediatric orthopaedic doctor, stressing that repeated strain during early childhood can permanently affect posture and gait.
Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, schools are advised to ensure that:
School bags do not exceed 10% of a child’s body weight
Homework in early classes is kept minimal
Lighter textbooks, flexible timetables and locker facilities are provided
Digital learning tools are used to reduce physical load
Yet parents argue that while the policy is progressive on paper, implementation remains weak.
The father behind the viral post says he repeatedly raised concerns with the school but received only polite, ineffective responses.
What started as one parent’s plea has now exposed a systemic issue—convenience and outdated practices outweighing children’s well-being.
There are, however, signs of change. Kerala has recently approved a draft proposal to reduce school bag weight and redesign classrooms, with public feedback invited before rollout in the next academic year. Many parents hope other states will follow suit.
The debate now goes beyond a single photograph. Parents, doctors and educators are asking uncomfortable but necessary questions:
Why are weight norms rarely enforced?
Why do children still carry every textbook daily in the digital age?
Why must families fight for something as basic as a lighter schoolbag?
That one image did what years of complaints often failed to do—it forced the country to confront the invisible weight placed on tiny shoulders every morning.
If the outrage leads to real action—lockers installed, timetables redesigned, digital tools embraced—it could mark the beginning of meaningful change.
Because children should carry books for learning, not burdens for life.
