Heavy baggage

Small children carrying heavy school bags have become a common sight in our country. Now the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government intends to enact a law to fix a weight limit for school bags. There is a hope that the long-standing of problem of burdening little children with heavy bags would be resolved.

The KP government told the Peshawar High Court on Oct 15 that in the draft legislation the government had categorised a weight limit for various school classes and the maximum permissible weight limit would be 6-7 kgs. Carrying heavy school bags affects the physical and mental growth of students. Medical experts say carrying heavy school bags could cause neck, back and shoulder pain to students. It is hoped that other provinces will also enact similar laws to protect children from heavy school bags.

Qazi Jamshed Alam Siddiqui

Lahore