Follow up on Comprehensive School Health Programme

The Central CBSE Board of Secondary Education has recommended the setting up Health and Wellness Clubs and launched the four manuals in the package of Comprehensive School Health Manuals.

We hope that you have received the following four volumes of the Comprehensive School Health Manuals:

1. Comprehensive School Health Teachers Activity Manual (Volume I)
2. Teacher’s Manual for Classes I-V
3. Teachers’Activity Manual for Classes VI-VIII
4. Teachers’Activify Manual for Classes IX-XII

In continuation of the above the CBSE Board would like to bring to you an advisory on some of the components related to health such as Physical Fitness, Substance Abuse and Emotional Concerns.

1. Physical Fitness:

There should be at least 30 minutes of Physical Activities or games with maximum health benefits for Classes I-VIII every day. For Classes IX-XII it should be ensured that all the students participate in Physical Activity/Games/ Mass P.T./Yoga with maximum health benefits for at least 2 periods per week (90-120 min/week). In case the school has constraints of space, climatic conditions, presence of enough PE Teachers, or coaches it may consider indoor activities which would provide maximum health benefits (Aerobics/ Meditation & breathing exercises/Yoga).

Mass P.T. in the morning keeping in view the climate conditions is another alternative the school can use.

Too much of time being spent by children at house in watching TV or playing computer games needs to be carefully monitored by the parents. An advisory can be sent by schools to parents and reinforced in the beginning of every term.

Parental Awareness programmes regarding Adolescent concerns including the above may be held at regular intervals by the schools.

2. Eating Habits and Diet:

School canteens should provide healthy snacks which can be monitored by the Health Clubs of the schools. Doctors/Nutritional Experts/Dieticians/Counsellors/Nurses/Home Science Departrnent may be involved in designing the recipes for the menu (healthy, nutitious, wholesome) and monitoring quality of the food items. Junk/fast food needs to be replaced completely with healthy snacks. Carbonated and aerated beverages may be replaced by juices and diary products (Lassi, Chach, Flavored milk etc.)

3. SubstanceAbuse:

Passive smoking is as harmful as indulging in active tobacco use. Awareness regarding the hazardous effects of passive smoking need to be created among the students and this may also be apart of the Parental Awareness programmes. Awareness on recent laws enacted on prohibition of Tobacco products in public places needs to be created among students.

Heads of Institutes should ensure that no Tobacco products should be sold either by minor or by major children in the vicinity of the educational institutes. Regular vigilance against smoking at home and school needs to be emphasized. The matter can be discussed in PTA meetings with parents. Project work on Substance/ Tobacco abuse may be assigned to students as part of school assignment across disciplines and ‘No Tobacco Week’ may be celebrated in school. A substance abuse control committee at school level involving PTA member’s local leaders and students may also be initiated.

Value Education and Value Enhanced Life Skills should form a part of the larger curriculum plus activities in the schools. Schools should also be able to integrate unstructured programmes on Value Education through their Literary Clubs, Health Clubs and Eco Clubs.

4. EmotionalHealth:

There is a need for Value Education aided Conceptual Framework of Life Skills related to values for sensitizing teachers and learners to the Universal Skills such as Thinking Skills (Creative and Critical Thinking, Self Awareness, Problem Solving, Decision Making), Social Skills (Interpersonal Relationships, Effective Communication, Empathy) and Emotional Skills (Managing feeling/Emotions, Coping with Stress).