Tipperary parents are expressing concern at the weight of school bags – especially parents of children attending primary school.
South Tipperary County Councillor Richie Molloy has been contacted by a number of parents on the issue.
He is concerned that a lot of harm is been done to the spine of young school-going children who are expected to carry bags which often weigh in excess of 8 kilogrammes
In 1997 medical experts recommended to a Department of Education working group that children under 10 should not carry more than 4 kilo's but nothing has actually changed since then with bags instead getting heavier over the years ,
Councillor Molloy is calling on the Minister of Education to issue guidelines to schools regarding the weight of school bags and is also calling on schools to see if books could be left in the school rather than being brought home every night.
