JAIPUR: With an objective to enhance knowledge and encourage positive health behaviours among schoolchildren and adolescents, the school health and wellness programme was launched on Wednesday in seven districts, including all the five aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog.
The programme is aimed at providing awareness on mental and physical health of schoolchildren and adolescents.
The programme will be initiated in Baran, Dhaulpur Jaisalmer, Karauli, Sirohi and two additional districts β Bundi and Udaipur.
Health minister Raghu Sharma launched the programme in the presence of National Health Mission (mission director) Naresh Kumar Thakral, Commissioner School Education Bhanwar Lal, director family welfare Dr LS Ola and UNFPA State Programme Co-ordinator Sunil Thomas Jacob in Jaipur. Sharma said, βIn each school under the programme, two teachers will be identified as health and wellness ambassadors and two children will be identified as health and wellness messengers. These teachers will talk to children over 11 points of health every week and make them aware about health.β
During the launch of the programme, the guidelines, training modules and IEC materials were also distributed.
Health department officials said the objective of the programme was to increase knowledge and positive health behaviours among schoolchildren and adolescents. A total of 9,642 teachers will be trained from 4,821 schools from February to May, who will be taking regular sessions for students in the schools in seven districts. The programme will also be linked through mainstreaming adolescent health through linkages to Nirogi Rajasthan.
The programme is being implemented in coordination with health and education departments and with the technical support of United Nations Population Fund.
Health minister said that adolescent health is a major area of focus under the Nirogi Rajasthan Campaign launched by chief minister in 2020.