The students implemented a project to reduce the heavy loads carried by elementary school children. They divided textbooks into three parts based on school terms so children only had to carry one term's books at a time. This reduced the average weight carried from 7.73kg to 3.77kg. The percentage of body weight occupied by the load was reduced from 36.3% to 17.42% on average across classes. Ratios of body weight to load increased, improving from 2.79 to 5.8. The results showed significant reductions in weights carried by children.

2. L.S.N. Deepthi , X Std

3. M. Sirisha, IX Std

4. V. Akhil, X Std

5. K. Manisha, X Std

7. Class teacher of VI standard

8. Sri. Balakishan (General Science),

9. Class teacher of VII std

11. Today’s education has become overloaded to the children, which in turn making the children to suffer both mentally and physically, learning less but carrying more loads.

12. Today’s competitive world has made education overloaded to the children mentally (with lots to study) as well as physically (with lots of books to be carried).How good it would be if there was some way out.

13. We feel that why the children should carry such a heavy load at this tender age, instead we can make the children learn more with fewer loads on their back.

14. So we thought that if we can bring a small change in this regard many many children will be benefited. Hence we have chosen the topic for our project for the

15. DESIGN FOR CHANGE CONTEST, 2010 as

16. ‘STUDY WELL WITHOUT THE LOAD OF HELL’

17. Yes! This will be the right topic for the current scenario.

19. We met Sri. Prakash Rao, Head Master, Krishi High School for guidance and permission for implementing above mentioned project in the school premises. He immediately accepted and guided with his valuable suggestions.

20. We talked to the class teachers of I to V standard for implementing project in their classes. They happily joined with us and encouraged us to proceed.

21. Along with our mentor teachers, we met Govt. officials, doctor, Govt. school teachers, parents and gathered different ideas to solve the above problem.

23. Send the children to nearby school

24. Weigh the weight of bags from 1 to 10th classes

25. Animal should be loaded 1/10th of its body weight.

26. But Children are carrying more than 1/10th of their body weight

27. Teachers should design their time table to teach only three subjects per day.

28. Home work and class work should be maintained in one book only.

29. School should provide protected water so that weight of water can be reduced.

30. Providing solar energy radiation for hot water for washing the hands

31. Time table problem is one of the major problems that the children are facing.

32. By using E book reader (magic slate) totally weight of bags can be reduced. It can even reduce the deforestation

33. Dr . Suhasini, Professor, Dept. of Agril. Economics, College of Agjriculture, Rajendranagar.

34. Take some practical examples

35. Develop models

36. Encourage creativity at very young age, so that there is no necessity of text books

37. Most of excercises up to 3rd classes, the examination should have voral questioning.

38. Avoid copy of notes, which consumes more time

39. The lessons followed by a play makes them very active and interested through practical things make them understand. For example ABACUS method.

40. The student who is least in grasping should be given first preference.

41. Teach by innovative methods

42. Keep only text books with children and work books may be retained in classes only

43. Only one note book for each subject

44. They should sit in class and complete work book parts

45. In Delhi public school, primary classes children loads are less but for higher classes loads are heavy.

46. The attitude of parents and children should be changed.

47. The subject matter in every subject is like a ocean. As per the interest, children should be given freedom to learn about it.

48. Asking the school children to prepare charts, models etc which can be used as teaching aids which helps to learn practivally.

49. Dr. Ratnakar, Professor and Head, Extension Education Institute and Special Officer, Krishi High School, ANGRAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

50. Change the time table so that three subjects can be covered in a single day which reduces the lugguage by half.

51. Rack facilities must be provided in each class.

52. Printed papers must be given as a reports of home works instead of books which reduces the weight

53. Parents must be involved in school activities

54. Discussions with parents is necessary

55. Dr. M. Uma Devi, Principal Scientist (soils), Water Technology Centre, ANGRAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

56. Adjust the time table in such a way that each subject is covered two times in a day with less number of subjects covered each day which automatically reduces the weight.

57. Provide protected water in school, which reduces the weight of water bottles.

58. Avoid unnecessary work books. If the students is thorough with the prescribed text books of present day syllabus, that is more than enough.

59. Encourage students to read the text books.

61. No body bathers about physically handicapped children, who suffers a lot.

62. Students becomes restless which affects their performance in curriculum activities

63. Concentration on studies decreases

64. Growth gets hampered

65. Due to weight abdominal cavity is affected which in turn affects their nutrition

66. Experiance mental pressure in addition to physical inconvenience

67. Reduce the domestic pressure created by parents and teachers on the kids which may lead to depression and even lead to the thoughts of commiting suicide

69. Teach every lesson in detail

70. Provide protected water in the school premises it self

71. Home work and class work should be written in one book only

73. Over weight of bags hampering the physical growth of children

74. Unable to stand straight due to over weight on their scholdres.

75. Defective postures reflecting that they are not self confident

76. Dividing the text books into three parts

77. Fixing the time table for additional subjects like General Knowledge, Moral Sciences etc

78. It is better to provide normal size note books instead of long note books

79. The home works books can be reduced by dividing each subject home work on alternate days or on some fixed time table

80. Racks must be provided in schools for keeping class work note books / work books which are not needed at home

81. Mr Venu Vandhanam, B Com, B.A. (Lit) Superiendent, Office of the Dean of Agricualture, ANGRAU, Rajendranagar and President, Parents Teachers Association, Krishi High School, Rajenranagar, Hyderabad.

82. More luguage means more expenditure from the parents for their children’s education.

83. Avoid carrying heavy loads of bags and provide quality education with new technologies by reducing the weight of books.

84. After listening to the opinions of different people our team discussed with our mentors and decided to separate & stitch the text books and work books in to three parts according to three terms to reduce load. Children will carry only books of that term, thus giving them relief from carrying a whole book.

85. DO

86. We have chosen I to V standards for implementing our project.

87. Our team, and all the teachers and staff of the school involved in separating the books in to three parts based on three terms and stitching them to make three separate books.

88. We handed over the first term books to the children and remaining two terms are kept with the respective class teachers, which will be given to the children when the time of those terms.

90. We recorded the weights of the school children with their school bags from class I to V before and after implementing our idea.

91. For this we took the help of the respective class teachers.

92. We have tabulated the data and computed the mean weight of children for each class, mean weight of previous school bags along with tiffin carriage and water bottles as well as mean reduced weights.

93. We also computed the information on percentage of body weight of students occupied by the load carried by children before and after implementation of our project.

94. We also computed the information on ratio between students body weight and the load carried by them before and after implementation of project.

95. We have generated respective graphs along with tables.

97. The weight of bags along with the tiffin boxes and water bottle ranged from to 5 to 6 kg with a mean of 5.18 kg.

98. The weights got reduced to 2 to 3 kg with a mean of 2.38 kg after reducing it to terms wise.

99. The mean percentage of body weights occupied by the load was 38.64 before the implementation of the project which got reduced to 17.21 after implementation of the project.

101. The weight of bags along with the tiffin boxes and water bottle ranged from to 6 to 7 kg with a mean of 5.18 kg.

102. The weights got reduced to 3 to 3.5 kg with a mean of 3.04 kg after reducing it to terms wise.

103. The mean percentage of body weights occupied by the load was 28.27 before the implementation of the project which got reduced to 14.08 after implementation of the project.

105. The weight of bags along with the tiffin boxes and water bottle ranged from to 7 to 8 kg with a mean of 7.48 kg.

106. The weights got reduced to 3.1 to 4.0 kg a mean of 3.71 kg after reducing it to terms wise.

107. The mean percentage of body weights occupied by the load was 33.83 before the implementation of the project which got reduced to 16.83 after implementation of the project.

109. The weight of bags along with the tiffin boxes and water bottle ranged from to 8 to 10 kg with a mean of 9.28 kg.

110. The weights got reduced to 4 to 5 kg with a mean of 4.41 kg after reducing it to terms wise.

111. The mean percentage of body weights occupied by the load was 43.01 before the implementation of the project which got reduced to 20.44 after implementation of the project.

113. The weight of bags along with the tiffin boxes and water bottle ranged from 10 to 11 kg with a mean of 10.62 kg.

114. The weights got reduced to a mean of 5.28 kg after reducing it to terms wise.

115. The mean percentage of body weights occupied by the load was 37.64 before the implementation of the project which got reduced to 18.71 after implementation of the project.

117. CONCLUSIONS

118. Results from our research showed drastic decrease in the weight of the school bag.

119. On an average (Class I to V) the weight of the load got reduced from 7.73 to 3.77 kg.

120. The percentage of load occupied by the student body weight got reduced from 36.3 to 17.42 %.

121. The ratio between student’s body weight and load increased from 2.79 to 5.8.

122. POST PROJECT WORK

123. Happy with the concept, our Head master and Special officer Sri.Ratnakar decided to implement the Idea this whole year and further too.

124. After implementing to the classes I to V, now talks are going on to implement it to higher classes by changing the time table, with less number of subjects covered each day.

125. We wish to pass on this idea to other schools too, so that their students will also be benefited like us.

126. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

127. Thanks to the DESIGN FOR CHANGE contest to invoke in us the spirit & confidence to not just Change but improve…..to shape out into a good

128. Personality.