By Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

It is common to see a Kashmiri child stooping beneath the weight of a schoolbag.

The straps dig into the tiny shoulders, the books press against the small spines, and the children move slowly, deliberately, as if every step is measured against the load they bear.

What should be a symbol of growth and curiosity has become a burden, both physical and moral.

Beyond the textbooks lies a deeper truth: our schools value scores more than character, exams more than empathy.

Subjects like moral science, social studies, and mental health awareness remain sidelined, leaving gaps that no formula or diagram can fill.

The strain shows in posture, fatigue, and the little sighs a child tries to hide. It shows in the small, tremulous ways a child shrinks beneath expectation.

Research shows children in India carry 20 to 30 percent of their body weight in schoolbags, a figure that rises in Kashmir when winter layers are added.

Bones bend, spines curve, shoulders ache, and yet the invisible burdens are heavier still. Children begin to equate learning with suffering, curiosity with punishment.

The thrill of discovery, the joy of understanding, the wonder that should accompany education, gets buried beneath repetitive assessments and endless memorization.

The weight of the bag is matched by the emptiness of what fills it.

Mathematics, science, languages dominate, while lessons in ethics, civic responsibility, and empathy are treated as optional extras.

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