Muscat – As students across Oman prepare to return to classrooms on September 6, parents are being urged to look beyond colours, designs and prices when choosing school bags and pay greater attention to their children’s health and safety.

With the new academic year approaching, education and health authorities are renewing warnings about the risks associated with overloaded or poorly designed school bags, which can place unnecessary strain on children’s backs, shoulders and muscles.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) has highlighted the importance of choosing school bags that comply with the unified Omani/GCC Standard OS GSO 2656, which sets requirements for their quality and safety.

One of the key requirements is that the total weight of a fully loaded school bag should not exceed 10% of the child’s body weight. A child weighing 30kg should carry no more than about 3kg in a fully packed bag. Parents can easily check this by weighing the bag on a household scale before their child leaves for school.

The standard also calls for wide, padded and adjustable shoulder straps, a padded back panel and several compartments to distribute weight evenly. The bag should cover the upper part of the child’s back without extending below the waist, while its width should not exceed the child’s back.

MoCIIP has also specified maximum bag weights of 2kg for primary school students and 4kg for senior school students. Wheeled school bags should not exceed 5kg for primary pupils and 7kg for senior students.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has warned that excessively heavy school bags can have physical, psychological and academic consequences, particularly for younger children.

Heavy bags have been linked to back and spinal problems, gait disturbances and a higher risk of falls and injuries. Excessive weight may also contribute to discomfort, mental distraction and reluctance to study.

MoE recommends that school bags should be lightweight when empty and made from comfortable and safe materials. Children should use both shoulder straps rather than carrying the bag on one shoulder, with the straps adjusted so that the bag sits correctly on the back.

Reducing school bag weight is not solely the responsibility of parents. MoE has introduced measures targeting pupils in Grades 1 to 4, including reducing the number of notebooks, restricting the use of external booklets and summaries, and encouraging students to use approved textbooks.

The ministry has also promoted classroom lockers so pupils do not have to carry all their books home every day. Schools have been encouraged to coordinate homework between teachers and organise timetables so students carry only the books and materials required for each day. Electronic textbooks are also being promoted through the Education Portal.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Ali Al Shyadi, a teacher, said schools and families both have an important role in ensuring students do not carry unnecessary books and materials.

He stressed the importance of following school timetables, making proper use of lockers and coordinating assignments so children are not required to take all their books home.