Lighter Bags and On-Campus Pets to Aid Burdened UAE School Students!
These new features could go a long way in aiding the school experience.
As though the voluminous syllabi in grade school is not overwhelming enough. Now, many students are wilting under the pressure of heavy school bags as well. This makes school a most unbearable experience, when its purpose is to be just the opposite. Yes, doctors point out that making young school-goers beasts of burden in this manner could adversely affect their long-term physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Health care specialists suggest that the weight of a school bag should not exceed 1/5th that of the child carrying it. Also, the child’s back and neck gets severely strained and affects posture, while even the arms and hands could get numb and weak, according to Dr. Mamatha Bothra of the International Modern Hospital Dubai. Dr. Bothra adds that the typical school bag’s weight pulls the child backwards, causing him or her to bend their hips and arch their back to keep balance.
There are practical solutions to this problem though, as per Dr. Bathra’s fellow paediatrician – Dr. Sherif Mohamed Mosaad Kamel. This knowledgeable staffer of Zulekha Hospital Dubai recommends ergonomically-designed school bags with padded straps and compartments for better distribution of weight. Dr. Kamel also emphasises the need for students to be provided with lockers to store their books when not needed. In so doing, schools could literally and figurative take the burden off their students’ shoulders.
However, another novel way in which several UAE schools are already helping students lessen stress and strain is by including pet animals on campus. Indeed, the introduction of barns on the premises or partnering with pet nurseries has yielded a positive effect on students. These domesticated stress-busters include dogs, cats, rabbits, tortoises, birds and fish. The unique interactive experience unfolds under the watchful and eye of professional handlers and in accordance with protocol by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
Testimonials of the calming and joyous impact that petting and feeding friendly animals, are available far and wide. Yes, this encouraging feedback comes from such well-known institutions as Amity School Dubai, the Aquila School, Aspen Heights British School and the English College. And talk about Old McDonald’s Farm (from the nursery rhyme), James McDonald, who is the CEO/Principal of the GEMS Wesgreen International School, proudly expounds on his forest school and school farm – the first of their kind in the UAE.
This institution actively absorbs animals and nature into the learning environment with a menagerie including everything from goats to rabbits to tortoises as well as their feathered friends like hens, pigeons, peacocks, finches and cockatiels! Including this sort of animal-socialising in the curriculum, adds Mr. McDonald, has helped children develop “a stronger sense of empathy, responsibility and environmental consciousness.” There might well be hope for our beleaguered students and our injured planet yet.
