Bags and books bogging us down, say school children

Education experts were left scratching their heads after primary school children raised their voices yesterday to complain about the weight of their bags.

In a candid but gripping poem that left government officials, donors and teachers unions and journalists amazed, the pupils said the sizes of their bags was weighing them down.

The pupils said that time has come for them to be listened to as the curriculum reform process gets under way.

"I am tired of carrying this bag. This bag that is full of books. Books that belong to this system, my system. My bag is too heavy. Too heavy for me to carry,” the children from Advent Hill Primary School in Ongata Rongai recited.

The children directed by their teacher Wilter Orina said pupils carry many books to school, some of which they do not read and observed that some of the subjects taught are confusing.

“Get out your social studies books. Hey! Not Social Studies homework. Then with one teacher? Social studies class work. Ohohoh, si ungesema. Science homework and class work. Mathematics homework and classwork. Kiswahili Mufti, Sarufi, Msingi. All in my bag,” they said.

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But what shocked those attending the conference on curriculum review in Nairobi yesterday most was the dismissive statement pupils get from teachers whenever they attempt to focus on non-academic aspects of learning.

violin lessons

“Teacher, can I carry my drawing book? I enjoy drawing and painting at home. What of my violin lessons teacher? No! That will affect your grades. Then my bag is too heavy, too heavy for me to carry,” they said.

The poem was, however, not over without a challenge to the education experts: "Compare my age and my bag. Isn’t the bag older than me? Yes! This bag was bought yesterday, and I was born seven years ago. My bag is too heavy Too heavy for me to carry," they said.

Feeling truly abandoned and feeble, the pupils posed a question to the audience: "Then what should I do? Please say and do something. For I need to be happy. I need to smile while carrying my bag. For now my bag is too heavy."

The hitherto silent hall ruptured into applause and then hushed conversation as delegates turned to each other for a comment or two.

The children had made their point, the bag is heavy-too heavy.

Touched by the poem, the moderator asked for quick reactions to the "big statement" made by the children.

"We are equally concerned. How do we make the bag lighter?" asked the moderator.

Uwezo Kenya Country Coordinator, John Mugo said one of the items carried in the bags is food.

"If we can provide food in schools then the weight of the bag shall be reduced," he said.

Dr Mugo said it is pointless for children to carry books to school and back home.

"If they shall go home to do homework, is it necessary for them to carry books to and fro?" he posed.

He, however, said that under the digital era, all the books could be carried in one gadget.

"This will make the bag lighter but it may not reduce the weight of children’s workload," he said.

Students' government representative Rukia Abdulahi said ignoring arts subjects would be detrimental to children’s growth.

"We must nurture the learners' potential. For instance Form Ones study 12 subjects, which means in addition to textbooks, the weight of their bad is huge and this affects their psychological growth as well,” she said.

Kenya Publishers Association chairman David Waweru said publishers agree that children must have time to play.

"As we move to the digital learning, we may reduce the size of the bag by carrying less books but shall we have lifted the burden brought by books?" he said.