Bhubaneswar, Nov. 7: Schools here are taking the initiative to lessen the burden that students carry in the form of overladen satchels to institutes everyday.

Since carrying heavy bags are taking a toll on the health of the students, some schools have started personal locker system where children can keep their essentials before going back home.

'Heavy school bags may affect the health of the children. We have seen students complaining of back pain at an early age,' said Sanjay Suar, principal of KIIT International School.

'We are persuading the students to use the lockers. While some parents are very supportive, a few do not agree to the concept,' said a teacher of another premier school on condition of anonymity.

Generally students are required to carry the textbooks of at least six subjects along with the notebooks. Thereafter, two rough copies, a school diary, a pencil box, lunch box and water bottle also make place in school bags. The bag weighs more when kids also have to carry their raincoats, umbrella or winter gears,' said Sanjukta Mishra, a parent.

'A school bag of an average Class V student weighs around 12 to 15kgs. The problem increases when students move to higher classes. They have to carry several other things including workbooks, guidebooks and reference books that make the bags heavy. Children struggle to walk up the stairs with such heavy bags on their backs,' said Bishnu Negi, a teacher.

While locker facilities have been made at select private schools such as Sai International and KIIT International schools, many other institutes are introducing smart classroom facilities where the mode of teaching is online and, therefore, students don't have to carry books to schools everyday.

Rashmi Mohanty, a nursery teacher at the Future Bhubaneswar School, said: 'Homework is rarely given and even when we do we give it in the form of worksheets that are lighter and easier to carry.'