School health education policy launched
A document which provides policy guidelines for the promotion of health education in schools has been launched in Accra.
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The document, developed by the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), seeks to promote health education and other related health services on the doorstep of schoolchildren.
The SHEP provides stakeholders, who implement school health programmes a national policy document to avoid duplication in the implementation of programmes.
Promotion of health practices
In her address, Ms Kate Opoku, the national SHEP co-ordinator, said health promotion in schools should not be limited to the management and prevention of diseases but must also include the physical and social well-being of the individual.
She said to ensure the prevention of diseases, there was the need for the promotion of healthy life styles and practices.
“The SHEP Policy guideline will provide a holistic approach to the implementation of interventions and define linkages with national programmes and goals. It will bring together the various stakeholders and individuals who offer school health services,” she said.
Special schools
Launching the SHEP document, Mr Stephen Adu, the Director of Basic Education in charge of special education at the Ghana Education Service (GES), said the policy document would assist all major stakeholders to promote good health practices in schools.
He also said the policy document would ensure that the rights of children to quality healthcare werw promoted and achieved.
“I am very happy about the introduction of this document because it also caters for special schools and this will ensure the promotion of safe health practices in special schools in Ghana,” he said.
The policy
The new policy document has six chapters which discuss the concept of school health and outlines the current status of school health practices.
It establishes the policy and institutional framework for the implementation of school health programmes and further provides direction for achieving effective school health delivery.
