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LATER TODAY, A government committee is to hear submissions on the possible effects the weight of schoolbags have on children, and will be accepting submissions.
Representatives from the National Parents Council Primary, the National Parents Council Post Primary, and Dr Sara Dockrell, Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin will be sharing their experiences of school bag weights, and putting their suggestions forward about what can be done about it.
The issue of school bag weights is not something new – every September the national and local airwaves are full of parents shocked and concerned at the daily weight their children carry on the way to school.
Up until now, it’s been up to schools and parents to talk about the best way to tackle school bag weights – through what school books are chosen for the curriculum and considering facilities on school grounds to keep the books overnight.
But even lockers don’t solve the problem completely, as secondary school students would have to bring books home with them to do homework.
On Monday, a father spoke to a local radio station about his 12-year-old son’s school bag weighing 1.8 stone (11.4kg).
“All the books he brought home he needs to bring home because it’s relevant to his work,” the man told OceanFM.
“It wasn’t that he was bringing books home needlessly without checking that he could leave them in lockers. And that’s the way it’s been since he started first year.”
The man said he was thinking back to his two older sons and it was the same with them: “it hasn’t changed at all, if anything it’s gone worse.”
If you asked adults to go around their job carrying that amount of weight, they wouldn’t do it.
Paul Beddy is one of 20 directors at the National Parents Council Post Primary, and helped draft their submission to the committee today.
He says that every September the issue of heavy school bags becomes their “single biggest complaint”.
In 1998, the government developed a working group to develop ways of tackling the issue. The recommendations were compiled and have been reissued twice since – the last time was in 2005.
“After 18 years since the review was published, it’s time to start an implementation.
“In fairness to the department they’ve been issuing reminders, but it’s gaining very little traction. One of the recommendations is that the school should discuss with parents and teachers within the school about reducing the weight, but that hasn’t happened in a lot of cases.”
Some of the worries around heavy school bags are chronic back problems later in life, which could have serious implications for the future health of these children.
“This could be a freight train coming down the tracks for the state. We’re talking here about duty of care, [which is the responsibility of] educators and parents, and we’re flagging this as being important to solve.”
The committee on Children and Youth Affairs will begin today at 10. You can watch a livestream from Committee Room 1 here.
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I so would
Yep thinking the same, just wonder what the girlfriend looks like……
The guy must be hang like a donkey because it sure isn’t his face they are going for……..
Or his dyed head.
or his lifts.
Mao: “I want to know your secret”
Kissinger: “My secret, Mr President?”
Mao: “How a fat man gets so many girls?”
Kissinger: “Power, Mr. Chairman, is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
-Stone’s Nixon(1995)
Why is this news?
We all already know politicians have no integrity, no sense of honesty or even loyalty.
Riveting stuff ! Just joking
Sexy biatch tbf
A standing Mickey has no conscience…
Classy bird
Why thank you kind sir,one tries one’s best.
and spread legs, apparently to feminists, have no blame.
Maybe Ms Trierweiler should ask the only class act in this sorry tale, Segolene Royal for advice.
How is this any of our business and since when is Closer magazine a valid source of information? I’m seriously concerned about the integrity of the Irish media at the moment.
The role of the media is to report the news.
The reader then decides if it is any of their business or not.
Ms Trierweiler is on the French taxpayer dime and is/was designated First lady of France.
Ah now California don’t be so naive, you really think the media is that impartial? Come on now…
About as impartial as you
I will decide what is newsworthy for me.
if you don’t want to read about it, then don’t click on the link but you don’t get to decide what others can read.
Don’t be ridiculous I’m not deciding what others can read, I’m merely stating that its fodder news and as I said it makes me doubt the integrity of our media, especially when there is a lot not being reported on that, to me, is much more important.. This is a bigger issue than Hollande and his affairs and if you don’t see that well there’s not much I can do about it.
Fodder news?
The integrity of a leader? A cheat? Someone who leaves the mother of his three children?
The media’s integrity is always doubted when it’s a story you don’t like to hear or a belief you had, gets challenged.
You are also describing a false choice. Stories that matter(subjective) are reported. The reporting of one does not stop the reporting of another.
“bigger issue than Hollande and his affairs ”
‘Their’ affairs. There was two in the bed.
“if you don’t see that well there’s not much I can do about it.”
Oh please, Bill Burr’s “If you can’t do the math on that…”
“Stories that matter are reported.” That’s the most naive statement about the media I’ve ever heard. Stories that sell are reported. Seriously California…
You are through the looking glass, Rosy.
Nice tin hat btw.
Your wan is a bit of a ride.
1 woman should be more than enough for any man. He must be a sucker for punishment.
I’ll bang her if he doesn’t want to.
Hollande only has one mistress. We are all being screwed by Irish Politicians!
What is it that makes Hollande irresistible?
I’m gonna guess his millions… ;)
He isn’t a millionaire though.
He’s a career politician & though comfortable, he’s not super rich.
I guess he has a tongue that never tires.
Sure all she would have to do is talk french !
Speak…
If Hollande is as dedicated to the wellbeing of the citizens of France, as he is to fulfilling his personal sexual appetite on a a-la-carte basis, does he turn up in a motor cycle helmet to screw them too?
Pig
Did you just walk past a mirror?
Harsh. Trierweiler is not that bad.
The French don’t care what others get up to in their personal lives. Nor do I.
you clicked on a linked to a story and commented.
You care, you simply don’t like the fact that you do.
No. I don’t care and I clicked on it so as to post what I did.
Would you like my browser history too? There’s plenty of links in there I don’t care about.
Sarcozy is behind all this
I thought the French were all liberal and open minded to the extent that affairs are mandatory. Wouldnt have expected the wife to get in a tizzy over it, sure its normal there.
have your say