The Education Ministry is considering having students use e-book readers instead of textbooks, after a girl in Khon Kaen suffered a spinal deformity doctors suspect was caused by shouldering a heavy schoolbag.
It had not been concluded that the weight of the books was the only cause of the girl's deformity, but it should be "partly blamed for affecting the student's body", Deputy Education Minister Kalaya Sophonphanich said on Tuesday after learning of the girl's ordeal.
The Mathayom 3 (Grade 9) student was admitted to a private hospital in Khon Kaen on Monday after she fell ill and developed a fever.
"Her backbone was bent," her mother said, showing an X-ray image she obtained from the hospital.
The mother said she was convinced that her daughter's bag was the cause. The girl had first complained of back pains three years ago when still in Mathayom 1 (Grade 7).
Khunying Kalaya looked into the issue. One of the solutions she proposed was that students use lightweight e-readers, which can store a large volume of textbook files.
“However, reading on an e-book screen for a long time, like seven to 10 hours a day, is also worrying,” she said.
Excessive use of screens may have a negative impact on students' eyes, while craning their necks to read is also bad for their posture, she added.
