I am touching a topic which is concern of all of us. However, the parents, majority of whom, belong to lower middle class are affected directly. Most of them have 2-5school going children. At the start of academic year these parents face lot of difficulty in arranging finances for the purchase of book and allied items, It is heartening to mention that the School oweners, by design, select costly syllabi books. They have additional books for each subject as well. All these books are sold by the shopkeepers at exhorbitant prices. The school note-books are sold with a profit margin of 50 to 75 %. A student has to carry almost two note-books at a time for each subject. At least four to five note-books are needed for each subject in an academic year. The School authorities, on the pretext of various activities arranged for students, charge heavily. In case of new admission the parents are presented heavy bill under various heads: Security, Admission fee, Tution fee, Recreation trips fee, Stationery charges and Miscellaneous Epenses. The bill of School uniform is also a disturbing fact. All these tactics from books to uniform are in fact various methods deised to fleece the poor parents.
My son is bearing education expenses of his five children. My youngest grand-son is a student of Class IV. It is a pity that his school bag weighs at least 10 KGs. Carriage of this heavy bag by 8-9 years old student has many damaging effects on bone-joints, like elbow joints, shoulders-joints and even spine vertebrates. I wonder all students at school level are passing through same dilemma. The parents are helpless. None is serious to ponder over this grave state of affairs.
Will the Educationists, the School owners, the relevant Government functionaries, the Medical persons concerned with child health and Philanthropists think over this problem and find some solution whereby two objectives are achieved: reduction in the financial burden the parents have to bear and the heavy weight a school student carries when his bones are yet not very strong. Are we preparing our children for “Weight lifting competitions”? Certainly Not!