Solutions to heavy schoolbags

I refer to the letter by Anthony De Brincat headed Very Heavy School Bags (June 9). Indeed, this letter deserves the attention that The Times has given it, with prominence and full-colour illustration and all. If my memory serves me, Mr De Brincat has spent his entire working life in the teaching profession and this gives added weight to his appeal.

Well, do I remember my student days at the Lyceum, Ħamrun, when we, as schoolboys, had to carry bulky books to school, such as Pagine Amiche and the Algebra textbook.

In all fairness, one has to add that these outsize books were probably selected because they were meant to serve through our five years at school. Costwise, it may have made sense but not otherwise.

If this weight problem is to be solved, as indeed it should, all parties concerned need to cooperate.

The first people to be asked to bear this problem in mind should be those involved in textbook selection. In the same way consideration is given to up-to-date content, price and availability, perhaps size and unwieldiness should, likewise, be considered.

Another point: Given that there are eight lessons in a school day, does it follow that students need to lug eight (heavy) books to school with them? Might not the timetable be devised in such a way that only five or six subjects requiring textbooks are needed on any given day? What about art lessons, music and physical education? Are textbooks required here too? If art material and PE shoes are required, might not these, at least, be kept in a locker?

Another solution, in this day and age where PCs and printers are to be found in so many households, could be for pupils to take with them, in photocopy form, those pages that are to be covered in that particular day’s lesson. Some forethought is required by the subject teacher who would need to spell out, during the previous lesson, which pages s/he expects to cover in the next.

This second solution has the added advantage that any highlighting, underlining or margin notes are done on the photocopy, leaving the textbook itself unmarred. Furthermore, not carrying books to school every day saves wear and tear.

Mr De Brincat mentions files among the contents of his grandsons’ schoolbags. We all know that students undertake project work and this is to be encouraged.

However, it need not follow that the whole project file should be carried to school. The solution here is to encourage the use of ring files, so that students need take only that day’s stuff. The complete file is kept at home, to be taken to school only when the teacher is about to give a final assessment mark on the project.

Finally, the bottles of water – and I am glad to hear that these boys take water, not soft drinks, with them. The simple solution could be for students to be able to buy water, refreshingly cold if so required, from a vending machine at school. The school authorities would, of course, ensure that the profit margin is kept at a minimum.

I am certain that Vincent Chetcuti (whose contribution was carried in the May 31 issue) and Mr De Brincat have some solutions too. I am not a grandfather but surely I will be pardoned for barging in.