The
WHO’s Expert Committee on Comprehensive School Health Education Program in
collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of
Education after conducting a Rapid Assessment on School Health system in Nigeria
to ascertain the status of school health, discovered several health problems
among learners as due to lack of health and sanitation facilities in our
schools.
Despite,
long years of Health Education taught m our various schools as a curricular
subject had little or no effect in influencing on the knowledge, attitude and
behavior on health of the learners and has remained a source of concern that
needed urgent actions. Based on these findings the committee came up with the
following policies on school Health Programme:-
(1) The School Health Programme:
The
main goal of this programme is to improve the health of learners and staff as
responsible and productive citizens with the following objectives -
a)
Promoting growth and development of every child ‘by taking into consideration
of his/her health need
b)
Creating awareness on the collaborative efforts of the school, home and
community in health promotions.
c)
Developing health consciousness among leathers.
d)
Creating awareness on the already existing health programme and making use of
the various health related resources in the community.
e)
Promoting the collaboration in a world of interdependence social interaction
and technological exposure’ in addressing emergent health issues.
f)
Building the skills of learners and staff for health promotion in the school community.
2)
Healthful School Environment:
To
consciously organize, plan and execute all effort ensuring the safety and
healthy living conditions for all the members of the school community. Creating
a healthy and safe learning environment in the school, providing adequate safe
water supply and sanitation facilities for use in schools.
(3) School Feedin2 services:
School
feeding services are aimed at providing an adequate meal a day to all children
enrolled in school nationwide with its objective of:
1. Reducing hunger among school children.
2. Increasing school enrollment, attendance, retention and completion rates
particularly among children in poor rural communities and urban neighbourhood.
3. Improving the nutritional status of the schools children and
4.
To enhance the comprehension and learning abilities of pupils and students.
4) Skilled Based Health Education
This
is promoting the development of sound health knowledge, attitudes, skills
practices among the learners. Subject aimed at meeting the growth and
developmental needs and interest of learners with its objects as:
1. Providing adequate information on key health issues affecting the school community.
2. Development skill-based health education curricular
3. Providing participatory learning experiences for, the development of knowledge,
attitudes, skills and desirable health habits iii relation to personal and community
health
4.
Evaluating learners progress towards healthy development.
5.
School Health Services:
Preventive
and curative services provided for the promotion of the health status of
learners
The
purpose of this school health service is for the teachers to help children at
school in achieving the maximum health possible for them to obtain full benefit
from their education by:-
•
Providing basic services for disease prevention and management of injuries in
the school
•
Building the capacity of the school community in identifying, treating and
managing simple illness, injuries, infection and infestations, through the
pre-medical screening, routine health screening/examination, school health
records, First Aid and referral services and also providing advisory and
counseling for the school community and parents.
(6) Schools home and community
relationship
Parents
are the first Health Educators who shape the child’s habits right for infancy
before the child is ready for school. They should secure needed immunization
and medical care and inculcate good and sound habits into the child.
The
success of every School Health Programme entirely depends on the extent to
which community members are award of and willing to Support health promotion
efforts. Parents and c unity members should be encouraged by the school to make
inputs regarding the design, delivery, content and assessment of the programme,
so as to respond to their concerns and obtain their commitment at same time
play an important role in improving health and development of the community
through:
* Building
and strengthening: the capacities for an effective community involvement and
participation in school management and lastly
* Improve
advocacy and community mobilization to bring about necessary support from
stakeholders.