On its part, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has advised parents to check their children’s school time-table online so that they do not have to carry unnecessary books to school.
“This will help children to carry a fewer number of books,” said a teacher at a government school.
Rajagopal T. Naganathan, medical director, Atlas Hospital in Ruwi, who is also an orthopaedic surgeon, said that ideally the school bag should not weigh more than 10 to 15 per cent of the child’s body weight.
“Children can develop serious back pain because of the weight of bags they carry to school. So it is very important to carry less weight in school bags and sit in the right posture in the classroom,” he told the Times of Oman.
This advice comes after city-based doctors reported a rise in cases of spinal abnormalities in students, including disfiguring curvatures known as scoliosis.
