Praveen S K, a dedicated educator from Chikkodi, Belagavi, has ingeniously developed a solution to alleviate the burden of heavy school bags carried by young children. Recognizing the sight of exhausted students trudging to and from school, he embarked on a mission to reduce the weight of these bags.
After extensive research, which involved meticulously documenting the weights of various school bags and gathering feedback from children, parents, and teachers, Praveen discovered that some bags can weigh as much as 20-30 percent of a child’s body weight. Determined to find a remedy, he delved into experimenting with different designs, materials, and binding methods.
After nearly a year of tireless efforts, Praveen successfully created the innovative Refillable Multi-subject notebooks, now known as the “Prawin” notebooks. These notebooks are not just ordinary files with folders; they possess a unique clip that securely holds together blank pages divided into six distinct units. Students can continue writing until the pages are exhausted, and then effortlessly replace them with fresh ones. At the end of the academic year, the notebooks can be either sewn into six separate notebooks or bound into another similar file.
Praveen’s dedication to improving the lives of young learners extends beyond his creation of these remarkable notebooks. As the founder of Destiny career coaching classes in Belagavi, he has been providing invaluable guidance to students for over a decade. Additionally, he selflessly organizes personality development and other classes for younger children, free of charge.
Praveen strongly argues that even the existing government guidelines are insufficient in addressing the issue of heavy school bags. “According to the rules, the weight of bags should not exceed 15 percent of a child’s body weight. However, I firmly believe that even this limit is too high. Ideally, bags should weigh less than ten percent of the carrier’s body weight,” he emphasized. Through his research, he has successfully proven that the weight of school bags, including the tiffin bag, can be reduced to less than ten percent if the child carries only one textbook and one notebook each day.
Inspired by his own experiences and driven by a genuine concern for the well-being of students, Praveen has taken his mission a step further. He strongly advocates for the government to introduce lighter textbooks, recognizing that reducing the weight of school bags is a collective effort that requires systemic change.
The managing committee members of Jain Heritage School in Belagavi were highly impressed with the idea and promptly placed orders for their students. Additionally, some classes at Phoenix Public School have already started utilizing these innovative notebooks. Furthermore, a few other schools are currently contemplating the idea and have even requested samples for testing purposes. It is my sincere hope that this concept gains widespread popularity,” he confidently stated.
Recently, Mr. Praveen had the opportunity to meet with Madhu Bangarappa, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, to discuss his request for a reduction in the weight of textbooks. During the meeting, he effectively demonstrated to the minister and several officers that it is possible to create a single textbook by combining relevant sections of the syllabus each quarter. “The response from the government has been incredibly positive,” he revealed.
