Wheel out a new schoolbag solution

Spanish researchers have recently reaffirmed what two Indian high court judges observed two years ago: that school backpacks are becoming so heavy that using trolleys may be a better idea. The Bombay High Court had directed authorities to find a solution to this back-aching problem faced by schoolchildren, especially in India. The alarming long-term implications for the spine and posture of growing young bodies has been well established and earned against much before the honourable judges weighed in. But separate sets of books for class and home, or lockers for everyone, are not very viable solutions for all schools — a reason why overloaded satchels remain prevalent. So, the trolley — or its air travel cousin, the ‘strolly’ — may be the most sensible alternative.

Of course the cachet of rolling a mini suitcase is not quite the same as a cool school backpack, but it could work out the most cost-effective. The only problem in India would be how to fit them into the cramped school transportation, as satchels are usually piled haphazardly or simply slung together on carrier poles. However, if there is a judicial order to implement school trolleys or strollies, options that should have been considered seriously long ago such as reducing the burden of subjects or the size of the syllabi for junior classes, may finally find favour with the education authorities.