Schools mull e-books to reduce bag weight
dubai — Hussein Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, has quickly and publicly responded to a distress call from a UAE resident, after the latter shared an online video complaining about the heavy weight of his daughter’s school backpack.
The student’s father uploaded a video on social media, showing his daughter standing alongside her large backpack.
The father (speaking in Arabic), talks about the large number of books his young daughter has to carry to school each day and her inability to bear the weight.
Speaking to Khaleej Times on Tuesday, Dr Hamad Al Yahyaei, assistant undersecretary for the Curriculum and Assessment Sector at the MoE, said: “We would like to assure parents that their children’s well-being is a priority at the ministry and we are always considerate of the feedback we receive from them.”
He said the ministry is keen on “implementing effective solutions” that benefit students and enhance their educational journey, which is why it has provided electronic versions of curriculum books for students in all cycles on the Diwan website.
“The platform allows students to access or download their books remotely from anywhere, on their personal devices. This digital transformation and accessibility to interactive, engaging and exciting educational content is critical in helping us build knowledgeable, competent, creative and skilful individuals in the UAE.”
Following the video’s circulation, Al Hammadi also responded affirming that electronic schoolbooks would help eliminate the need for extra physical books. Additionally, he added that students should carry books according to their schedule for the day, rather than bringing all in at once.
Carrying the weight
The issue of heavy school backpacks has been a point of contention for parents in the UAE. But schools here are making steps to reduce the weight burden on students.
From next week, Indian High School (IHS) will be implementing a regular ‘no bag’ day for students. “Starting next Thursday, we will launch the ‘no bag day’ and it will happen every week,” Ashok Kumar, CEO of IHS, told Khaleej Times.
The school’s latest move is being carried out alongside its efforts towards digitalisation, which helps reduce bag weight as well as encourages parents to check timetables and pack only the books that the students need for that day.
Over at Dubai British School, principal Brendon Fulton said whilst the school has embraced a “gradual move towards e-books and online learning opportunities”, it continues to recognise the importance of traditional textbooks.
“Moving to e-books is not the sole solution. Schools need to consider how and when students need access to the still necessary traditional learning materials. By doing so, they can ensure that bags are not overly burdened during lesson transition times and to and from school.”
Some of the ways in which Dubai British School has helped students lighten the load varies across age groups.
For secondary school students, lockers are located throughout the school ensuring they only need to carry their books for current lessons. And for primary school students, dedicated homerooms allow students to leave their bags and books there throughout the day.
Like many schools in Dubai, it also boasts a BYOD policy (bring your own device). “This means that sets of textbooks can often remain in the classrooms for use, whilst students have anytime access to the online versions,” Fulton said.