SLSI to set new standards for schoolbags

Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) had prescribed several exacting standards for schoolbags with the objective of minimizing negative health effects and assuring school children of good quality, durable schoolbags.

These standards were finalized by a group represented by different sectors of the community including paediatricians, physicians, education authorities, textile engineers and bag manufactures. The standard features of a schoolbag should include that it was a backpack model, had two compartments, was padded, had wide shoulder-straps, a waist-belt, movable buckles and was made of quality raw materials. These bags are manufactured in five different sizes to match the child's body-size.

An awareness meeting for bag manu- facturers on new standards for schoolbags was held at the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) recently. More than eighty bag manufacturers participated at this workshop.

Dr. Priyadarshani Talgaswatte, Deputy Director General of SLSI explained the objectives of the workshop and said that the draft standards were even made available for public comments prior to finalization. She speculated about the possibility of making the SLS standards compulsory for schoolbags in the coming years.

Dr. Kapila Jayaratne, Consultant Community Physician and chairperson of the Expert Committee on Ergonomics of Sri Lanka Medical Association who pioneered the healthy schoolbag campaign in Sri Lanka described the medical aspects of inclusion of different features of the schoolbag. Dr. Jayaratne functioned as the chairman of the working group on developing standards for schoolbags. He said that the ergonomic schoolbag was a healthy choice and requested bag manufacturers to make the bag available to the market.