JOHANNESBURG - Government is defending portable desks issued to schoolchildren in the Eastern Cape.
Around 300 have received wheelie bags that convert into a desk and chair.
It also includes a solar light and USB charging port.
WATCH: Hardcore school bags double up as desks to bridge education gabs
The initiative received backlash with many saying children should not be dragging desks to school.
"We have tested this and all Grade 1s can manage to carry these desks," said Sibusiso Lukhozi from the Eastern Cape Education Department.
"They don’t feel the heavy load. Younger ones were able to carry, you can just pull it."