'90pc of school bags too heavy for children'

Nine out of 10 school bags loaded with books are far too heavy for pupils to carry and could injure their backs, a survey has shown.

On average, a primary school pupil's school bag weighs 4.2kg, 53.8 per cent heavier than the recommended weight - which is 10 per cent of a pupil's weight.

Yesterday, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) weighed 104 primary pupils and their bags in Kwun Tong.

The party said the problem of overloaded school bags this year was the worst since it launched the annual survey in 1994.

The study found 91.3 per cent of children were carrying overloaded bags.

In the worst case, a Primary Six girl, weighing 43.5kg, was carrying a 10kg bag.