E Books One Way To Ease Problem Of Heavy Schoolbags Says Maszlee

---

 
More students are troubled by back pain as a result of lugging heavy schoolbags.PETALING JAYA: Former education minister Maszlee Malik has suggested widespread use of electronic books as one of the solutions to the issue of heavy school bags leading to students’ suffering from back pain or injuries.
Maszlee said Covid-19, which forced schools to close, should have led to a political commitment to empower digital teaching and learning.
“Covid-19 has changed the way we live and learn. If we want to solve the heavy bag issue, we have to change the way we study. In developed countries, there are no heavy textbooks to carry,” he told FMT.
“Now there are e-textbooks. We could use physical books or printed materials only in places that may not have internet access, such as remote villages.”
Maszlee Malik.Maszlee said school managements and teachers must be given the autonomy to determine the best teaching methods, based on their particular needs.
“I am sure many of our teachers are creative. Some of them are exposed to the latest developments around the world and have learned ways to develop the best teaching methods for students.
“But if the teachers are subjected to too much control by  Putrajaya, how can they be creative? ” he said.
FMT had previously reported the story of Form 5 student Nurul Hanim Fazwin, 17, who had to undergo corrective surgery after she developed an “S” spine. The problem was linked to the student carrying heavy school bags.

Hanim’s father, Dr Mohd Zaqrul Ramzal Mohd Podzi, a paediatrician at a private hospital, said the number of children suffering from a bent spine had been increasing at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
Maszlee said that when he was the education minister, he had paid particular attention to this issue of heavy school bags by urging the education ministry to work closely with schools, parent-teacher associations and NGOs.
“We issued circulars on flexible timetables and left it to the schools, teachers and PTA how to resolve the issue,” he said.
He regretted that no attention was paid to this issue after the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed in 2020. - FMT

---