Vol. 475 No. 5
6 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education if she will commission a study into the weight of school bags and their impact on the health and well-being of the nation's children; and the steps, if any, she will take to alleviate the hardships currently imposed on school children as a result of the excessive weight of school bags. [5301/97]
In 1995 I established an advisory committee on textbooks and materials for primary schools. This committee, which includes representatives of the partners in education, was requested, as part of its remit, to investigate the matter of the optimum weight and size of school books when preparing new guidelines for publishers.
These guidelines will be issued to the partners. Therefore, in the circumstances I will await the final guidelines and I do not consider it necessary to commission a study specifically to examine the impact of the weight of school bags on the health of pupils. I am satisfied that I will get advice on this from the group which is already sitting.
I should point out that teachers and parents working in partnership very often make suitable practical arrangements at individual school level to address this issue. Such arrangements can include, for example, advance planning of timetables so that pupils know which books are required on any day. Where such arrangements are in place, they are extremely effective in addressing the difficulties associated with heavy school bags. At second level, in particular, the availability of school storage and the midday lunch break are of assistance in alleviating this problem for some students.
I tabled this question as a result of meetings which I had with various parent groups throughout the country. One group which I met in Ballincollig provided me with a school bag full of books and asked me to put it on my shoulder. The weight of the bag was extraordinary.
The Deputy is not having the right breakfast.
He did not have his Weetabix that day.
I am still relatively strong. The parents put it to me that a 13 and a half year old girl had to carry that bag, which weighed one and a half stone, on her mile and a half walk to school. Carrying such heavy bags must have health implications for children. The Minister indicated that a group has been set up to prepare guidelines on the weight of school books. However, a study by an expert group is needed to assess the health implications of the weight of school bags. We need that basic data to provide schools with the resources for storage and lockers, which most schools cannot afford to provide.
I have set up an advisory committee on textbooks and materials. Its terms of reference include a request to provide guidelines and specifications for textbooks and other teaching materials for use in national schools, to provide guidelines for the information of parents and schools on the selection of textbooks and other teaching materials, to investigate the matter of the optimum weight and size of school bags, to keep new publications under review and to advise the Department of Education on their suitability for use in primary schools.
The Deputy's worry is being addressed by this committee, which includes representatives of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Catholic Primary School Managers' Association, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, the National Parents' Council, the Heritage Council, the Women's Council of Ireland and the Department of Education, including An Gúm.
This worry has been addressed by the National Parents' Council which, in a report prepared in 1989, suggested that the optimum solution to the problem would have to be addressed at individual school level. I pass nine schools on my way to this part of the city in the morning and I am mesmerised by the shape and weight of what appear to be very heavy school bags which students carry on their shoulders.
My children have been through this experience but Deputy Martin's are only beginning. There is something to be said for asking children to empty out their school bags and to show what they carry in them. I say that as a very practical response as a parent to a worry about the weight of my children's school bags. That is a role which parents can play.
Parents can also look at timetabling. That begs questions about the voice of parents with school managements. This is a problem which all the edicts from the Department of Education will not resolve. One has to ask why some children carry heavier bags than those of their counterparts in other schools who are taking the same subjects. As I said, this problem is best resolved at individual school level but there are roles for parents and school managements.
The advisory committee was asked to address this issue before the Deputy brought it to my attention because it is a problem which everybody faces. However, the answer does not lie totally with the Department of Education. The Department has a role to play and when the guidelines are made available to me I will share the information with the Deputy. Deputy Browne is not with us today but he raises this subject in the House at the start of each school year and, as a consequence of his concern, this is now included in the terms of reference. I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the advisory committee currently sitting, but I will be delighted to share any recommendations they make with the Deputy.
I will take on board the parenting tips offered. In regard to the bag the parents asked me to carry around the meeting room in Ballincollig, we opened it and discovered that every book was necessary. Because of the junior certificate syllabus, for example, publishers are printing books to cover the three year course. In other words, a child starting in first year has the whole programme for three years in one book for each subject. That problem was specifically identified. These books are beneficial from a cost point of view but the weight issue is a significant factor. When does the Minister expect the working committee to report to her? All the initiatives taken so far have been ineffective and the parents believe nothing has been or will be done about this problem if a serious initiative is not taken. The Minister referred to a report compiled in 1989. This is now 1997 and no action has been taken.
The 1989 report was from the National Parents Council. The committee I established is currently sitting. The Deputy said every book in the bag was needed that day but that raises the question of class timetables.
And homework.
If every subject a child is taking for the junior certificate course is scheduled for the same day, that child is at a disadvantage compared to a child in a neighbouring school where class scheduling takes account of the weight of books and materials required for a particular day. I cannot answer this question. It is best asked and answered locally. The Deputy referred to publications and I know some books cover the entire three year syllabus. Publishers are involved with the Department of Education and are represented on this committee. Recommendations can be made on dividing the course into various parts. There may be cost implications but these questions should be asked and practical answers given. Deputy Martin should not imply that nothing is being done about this problem. Action is being taken but it cannot all be taken in Marlborough Street.
If the Minister provided resources for lockers they could do something.
It can be taken in Ballincollig. Decisions can be made on class timetables, contents of books, lockers, storage facilities and book rental schemes, but I am only one of the partners with responsibility for that. The partners in education are represented on the committee and when the guidelines are available to me, I will share them with the Deputy.
