“He should be in first grade, but he is in second”
Nazira Aytalieva lays out the contents of her son Koshoy's backpack on the table: a pencil case, several thick textbooks, and a pile of workbooks. “This is my son's backpack. He went to second grade this year, although by age he should have stayed in first. This is the result of the new education system,” says Nazira.Her main concern is the double burden her child is facing. The second-grade program he entered, skipping first grade, turned out to be too complicated for a seven-year-old boy. “As an adult, I find it hard to explain the material from this textbook. For him, it’s stressful,” adds the mother.
However, the problem lies not only in the complexity of the educational material but also in its weight. “Sometimes you need to take all four books. Try lifting such a load yourself. I wouldn’t want to carry it to work every day,” notes Nazira.
“As soon as I get to school, I’m already tired”: a child’s opinion
Koshoy also confirms that his backpack is indeed heavy.“This, this, and this book are very heavy. When I lift them, my shoulders sometimes start to hurt. After school, I come home and lie down because I have no strength left, and only then do I do other things,” says the second grader, adding that he tried carrying his friend's backpack, which also turned out to be heavy.
His older brother Ramazan helps him cope with the weight: “I help Koshoy carry his backpack. His backpack is heavy even for me. Mine is relatively light.”
Backpack weight: 3 kg excluding materials for art class
To illustrate the scale of the problem, the editorial team of Kaktus.media weighed Koshoy's backpack on a typical school day. He usually has four classes. The weight of just the textbooks and notebooks for three subjects (for example, math, Russian language, “Me and the World”) amounted to 3 kilograms. This did not include materials for the fourth class—art, where he needs to bring an album, pencils, paints, or plasticine. On such days, the actual weight of the backpack significantly exceeds 3 kg.According to standards, the weight of a backpack for students in grades 1-2 should not exceed 1.5-2 kg. Thus, Koshoy's load already exceeds the permissible norms by almost double in its basic form.
Doctor's opinion: possible consequences
Orthopedist Maksat Mamasadikov warns that regularly carrying excessive weight poses a serious threat to a child's health.“A child quickly gets tired, and the muscles weaken. This can lead to valgus deformity of the feet and knees, pelvic tilt, and ultimately to spinal curvature,” explains the doctor. The consequences can be severe: protrusions, hernias of the spine, chronic headaches.
“If a child often has leg pain, it is not always related to 'growth,' as many believe. Often, it is a consequence of improper load,” warns the orthopedist.
Parents' suggestions
Nazira Aytalieva, like many other parents in a similar situation, believes that systemic changes are necessary.- Program adjustment: returning to a more age-appropriate curriculum in the early grades.
- Technical solution: storing heavy textbooks in the classroom or switching to electronic versions.
- Dialogue with teachers: the possibility of receiving assignments electronically to avoid carrying all the books home.
Discontent among parents across the country is growing regarding their children's health.
“The textbooks are terribly heavy, the curriculum is completely inappropriate for their age, and the homework is a real challenge for the students. What were they thinking when they compiled these textbooks?”
“The backpacks feel heavy, as if there are bricks inside.”
“The content of the books does not correspond at all to the age of the children! The assignments at the beginning of the first-grade textbooks are: 'Read and write...' The books are huge, heavy, and incomprehensible! Where is the promised curriculum adapted for six-year-olds?! There are 50 students in the class, and it is absolutely unrealistic for the teacher to explain and teach the children; all topics are studied at home independently.”
“Children aged 6-7, who were immediately enrolled in the second grade, apparently found this insufficient. Now they have been given textbooks and workbooks with a curriculum that is essentially at the 4th-grade level. Moreover, the size and weight of the textbooks are completely inadequate for this age. The question arises: what research and standards were used in making such decisions?”
In response to a request from Kaktus.media, the Ministry of Education has not yet provided an answer.
