This document discusses strategies for promoting health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation in school feeding programs. It outlines objectives of school health programs such as imparting knowledge on healthy living. Factors affecting learner health like infrastructure, food safety and water supply are examined. The importance of school health policies, skills-based health education, and creating health-promoting schools is discussed. Signs of healthy learners and key lessons learned about integrating nutrition and sanitation into education are summarized.

1. Health, Nutrition, Hygiene
and Sanitation Promoting on
School Feeding Programmes
1
By
Farah (SFP and Gardening Expert)

2. Overview
2
 Introduction
 Objectives of the School Health Programme in relation to CFS
 Role of School Health in Education
 Factors affecting Learners’ Health
 School Health Policies
 Skills - based Health Education
 Creating a Health and Nutrition Promoting School.
 Indications that Learners are Healthy
 Recap
 Conclusion

3. Introduction
3
Good health and nutrition are indispensable for effective learning as
learners can reap maximum benefits from the teaching and learning
process if they are healthy. The school health program is an important
component of the total school program and schools have a legal and
moral responsibility to ensure learners have a safe sanitary and healthy
environment.
“ Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease.” A school health program can be
viewed as the school procedures that contribute to the maintenance
and improvement of the health of learners and personnel. The school
health program should be a shared responsibility involving the school,
sponsors, parents and the community.

4. Objectives of the Sch- Health
programme in Relation to CFS
4
The overall objective of the school health program is to promote,
maintain and contribute to the knowledge of learners and staff
about healthy living. Specifically, the school health program seeks
to:
 Impart knowledge, skills, practices and proper attitudes to
learners in relation to health.
 Promote and maintain good health practices among the learners
 Monitor and appraise the health status of the learners through
health screening and examinations.
 To provide first line emergency services to learners and teachers
injured or taken ill.
 To collaborate with health agencies, parents and communities on
issues relating to learners’ health.
 To counsel and give guidance to learners and parents on matters
relating to health.

5. The Role of School Health in
Education
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The role of Sch Health in education is justified on the
following grounds:
 Good health facilitates and enhances teaching and learning.
 Health and nutrition education values eventually translate to the
general populace hence a national health and nutrition culture.
 Teachers are better placed to impart proper and accurate
knowledge, attitudes and skills to learners on health matters than
their peers or their parents.
 Teachers are educated and adequately skilled to facilitate simple
health interventions such as deworming and vitamin A
supplementation.

6. Cont…
6
 Learners tend to have a lot of faith in and hold in high esteem
their teachers and will therefore readily internalize health
education messages from teachers.
 It is easier to sustain in adult life the knowledge, attitudes and
skills learnt earlier in school as compared to obtaining the same
later on from health practitioners.
 Schools provide grounds for more effective large scale
desermination of Health and Nutrition messages as such messages
tend to reach more recipients with minimal resources.
 Implementing School Health and Nutrition Programmes
strengthens the capacity of the MOE and relevant stakeholders in
providing quality education.

7. Factors Affecting Learners’
Health
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School , home and community based factors have implications on the
health of learners. Such factors include:
 The state and condition of physical infrastructure such as classrooms,
dormitories, toilets, playgrounds; the care of floors, walls; the
placement of furniture; use of toilets; the state of the playgrounds,
corridors, driveways, and walkways have implications on the
health of learners . For example, a dusty, unclean floor can result
in respiratory problems for learners.
 Lighting, ventilation and acoustics also affecting learners’ health.
Poor lighting can, for example, lead to eye problems. Poorly
ventilated rooms can also lead to the spread of respiratory diseases
and communicable diseases. Poor acoustics not only lead to
learning distractions but also to hearing problems

8. Cont…
8
 Food safety.
 Food safety refers to access and consumption of wholesome
food that promotes good health and optimal body
functioning. Access and consumption of safe food by
learners is important because safe and wholesome food
promotes health and in turn, effective learning. Research has
shown that learners who have access to wholesome (safe)
food have more enjoyable and successful learning
experiences.
 Learners eat food prepared by the school, brought by their
parents or purchased from food vendors. The nutritional
status, preparation of foodstuffs and the health of those
preparing food have far-reaching implications on the health
of learners.
 The emotional health of the learners is equally affected by the
length of the school day, school rules and regulations, and
ways of handling learner behavior

9. Cont...
9
 Water supply and disposal.
 In the school, waste materials may be generated
from the kitchen , classrooms, labs, construction
sites or from daily compound cleaning. Each school
should have rules for the management of its waste
materials and should make provision for orderly
segregation and destruction of wastes.
 It is important for learners to have access to clean
and safe drinking water and water for cleanliness as
contaminated water can lead to a number of health
problems, among them, typhoid, cholera and
dysentery. In addition, poor disposal of liquid and
solid waste can also result to health problems.

10. School Health Policies
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 School health policies state what actions we will take to improve the
overall health, hygiene and nutrition of the learners and especially
those with diverse backgrounds and abilities. Ensuring that all learners
are healthy and are able to learn is an essential part of a child –
friendly school.
 Involving many partners including teachers, learners, parents,
community leaders and social service providers is the best way to
develop school health policies.
 Improving the health and nutrition of learners through school health
and nutrition programmes is not new. Many schools have such
programmes because they realize that children's ability to attain their
full potential depends on good health and nutrition and a safe learning
environment. Learners are also able to learn to their fullest when they
feel the safest.

11. Cont…
11
 It is therefore important for school administrators and stakeholders to
supplement learners’ meals through various strategies as most parents
hardly provide adequate and nutritious meals for their children. Such
interventions would be in keeping with the government’s initiative of
promoting Primary Health Care.
 Teachers should be sensitive to the nutritional and health status of all
learners in order to give appropriate advice to parents and guardians.
 The process of formulating school health policies should involve the
following:
 Assembling a School Health team by creating a Community Health
Advisory Committee.
 Building consensus
 Developing Sch Health Policies and advocacy messages.
 Communicating this to stakeholders with a view to building the
needed support.

12. Cont…
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 Developing relevant themes and slogans and operationalizing them
such as by having:
School health day (s)
A school health club
Sponsoring a street display in a busy area.
 Using Art classes to encourage learners to come up with health promotion
artwork to decorate the school or community centers with.
Promoting the need for Sch Health policies and programmes through public
education techniques such as flyers, brochures, posters e.t.c

13. Examples of School Health Policies
Policy Issues Examples of School Policies
Sanitation and hygiene •Adequate and Separate latrines for male
and female teachers as well as boys and
girls.
•Clean and safe water for drinking and
general use.
•Active commitment from the
PTA/SMC/BOG in maintaining water and
sanitation facilities
Delivery of Simple School
Health and Nutrition
Packages
•Training and use of teachers to deliver
simple health and nutrition interventions in
collaboration with relevant stakeholders and
with the involvement of the local community.
•Regulation of food vendors and the quality,
hygiene and standards of the food provided.
13

14. Cont…
School Feeding and
meals
•Provision of a hot meal to all
learners per day with an effort to
ensure that the dietary needs of
learners with special needs are
catered for.
•All food handlers should have
valid medical certificates and/ or
trade licenses.
•Provision of safe preparation and
storage facilities for food.
14

15. Skills – Based Health Education
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 All learners and particularly those with diverse backgrounds and
abilities, need skills to be able to use their health knowledge to
practice healthy habits and avoid unhealthy ones. One way to
impart these skills is through Skills – based health education .
 Most schools teach some form of health Education. However skills
– based health education focuses on changing specific health
behaviours in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes. These help
the child to choose and practice (not simply learn about) healthy
behaviours.
 Skills – based health education programmes are planned around
learners’ needs and rights and therefore, are relevant to the daily
lives of young people.

16. Cont…
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 Five of the most important attitudes that need to be developed through skills
– based education are:
 Self respect: I want to be clean, smart, fit and healthy
 Self esteem and self confidence: I know I can make a difference to the
health of my family even though I am still a child.
 Respect for others: I need to listen to others, to respect them and their
customs even when they are different or when I cannot agree with them.
 Concern for others: I want to do my best to help others become healthier,
particularly those who are disadvantaged.
 Dealing with peer pressure is also central to effective Sch based health
Education.
When learners adopt such skills they are likely to sustain a healthy lifestyle
during schooling and in their future lives.

17. Cont…
17
 Although health issues constitute part of the syllabi of various
subjects the integrated teaching approach should be used to
effectively aid learning about health.
 In teaching health related issues, teachers should use learner
centered methods that allow greater learner participation such as
problem solving, demonstration, discussions, dramatization,
excursions and field trips.
 Health instruction should be enriched through use of up to date
information and materials from relevant authorities such as
MOPHS, NEMA and National Aids Council.
 All teachers should be trained in first aid skills.

18. Group Activity
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What strategic intervetions are necessary in facilitating the following components
of a Health and Nutrition Promoting School:
a) The School Feeding Programme e.g. strengthen the promotion of
sanitation and hygiene in schools.
b) The Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme e.g. put in
place appropriate water treatment methods such as filtration, boiling and
chlorination.
c) The Child Health and Nutrition Programmes e.g. ensuring that
pupils are regularly dewormed.
d) Skills based Health Education e.g. capacity building of teachers.

19. Sch Feeding and Meals
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 Provide school meals to targeted children from the most vulnerable,
food – insecure regions and pockets of poverty.
 Mobilize strategic partners for accelerated scale up and sustainability
of School Feeding Programme.
 Strengthen the promotion of Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools.
 Promote the establishment of school gardens or livestock rearing,
where appropriate, with focus on using the gardens to teach and
demonstrate methods of safe food production.
 Food preservation and preparation.

20. Cont…
20
 Establishment of micro – economic enterprise in schools to
enhance institutional capacity in order to access nutritionally
adequate foods.
 Promote time and energy saving technologies.

21. Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
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 The school community to ensure that safe water is available in the
school. Possible water sources include rainwater harvesting,
springs, borehole water and protected shallow wells, piped water
schemes, pans and other sources.
 Appropriate local level methods for water treatment to be put in
place by filtration, boiling and chlorination.
 SMS / BOGs /PTAs to ensure that water is stored safely to avoid
any contamination.
 Appropriate technology use in storage of water including plastic
tanks, cement tanks and ordinary drums / water containers with
all storage facilities being fitted with drawing taps to avoid
contamination.

22. Cont…
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 Encourage learners to take part in provision and maintenance of
clean safe water.
 Learners / vendors who bring water to school to do so in clean
containers.
 Communities to be involved in and sensitized on the importance
of provision and maintenance of water sources and facilities for
each school.
 In cases where safe water in not available appropriate water
harvesting technologies should be put in place.

23. Child Health and Nutrition
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 Monitoring of the health of learners on a regular basis.
 Checking the immunization status of all learners entering the
school.
 Liaising with the MOPHS and parents to ensure that learners are
immunized against common diseases.
 Ensuring that learners are dewormed regularly.
 Provision of first aid and basics of child health.
 Training of teachers in first aid and basics of child health
 Ensuring that pupils who fall sick in the school are tested in the
nearest health facilities but in consultation with parents

24. Creating a Health and Nutrition
Promoting School
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To promote good health and hygiene among the learners, schools
should:
 Provide school based education on prevention of endemic
conditions as well as care of the affected and infected.
 Collect and keep (accurate and up to- date) comprehensive
medical data on every learner in the school.
 Establish health policies to provide guidelines regarding what
takes place in case of health related incidences.
 Organize for regular medical checkups of learners, for early
detection and management of infectious diseases / outbreaks in
collaboration with health service providers and local authorities.

25. Cont…
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 Have adequately trained teachers in health education and ensure
working and adequate First Aid kits and facilities to provide
emergency care in schools.
 Promote environmental sanitation and hygiene practices in schools
through regular health practices.
 Promote and encourage the adoption of health promoting habits such
as healthy eating, reduced risk taking behaviour associated with HIV /
STD infections and avoidance of unplanned pregnancies, drug and
substance abuse, violence and injury.
 Provide adequate and safe water for drinking and use by learners and
staff.

26. Cont…
26
 Provide adequate sanitation facilities which are sensitive to gender
and culture.
 Protect children with special needs with regard to their health and
hygiene by working closely with parents.
 Undertake immediate steps to close the school when there is a
threat of an epidemic outbreak.
 Implement measures that protect those not yet infected from
those who already show symptoms of infections of contagious
diseases through isolation, quarantine and vaccination.

27. Indications that Learners are
Healthy
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There are ways teachers can tell when learners are in good health by
looking out for the following signs. Whether the learner:
 Is able to carry out routine learning activities in school, homework
and assignments without undue fatigue or emotional support
 Is able to participate regularly in physical education and other
physical activities in the school curriculum in addition to
demonstrating skills in games and basic body movements
appropriate for their age, sex and body type.
 Shows progressive gain in weight and height without unusually wide
variations.

28. Cont…
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 Has smooth clear skin, without discoloration, eruptions, or
excessive dryness or oiliness.
 Has good appetite
 Is interested in and enthusiastic about most activities that are
popular with classmates
 Is able to control emotions like other children.

29. What have we learnt?
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 Learners with diverse backgrounds and abilities are particularly
susceptible to poor nutrition, health and sanitation.
 Schools can effectively deliver some health, nutrition and sanitation
services if they address problems that are prevalent and recognized as
important within the community and are simple, safe and familiar.
 Effective school nutrition, health and sanitation practices can be
valuable means for teaching learners important life skills.
 Skills- based health education programmes focus on changing specific
health behaviour that is related to health needs of both girls and boys
(gender sensitive). Learners actively participate in learning and more
importantly, how to turn their knowledge into immediate actions.

30. Cont….
30
 Through Sch based health education learners develop their knowledge,
attitudes and life skills. They can then make decisions and take positive
actions to promote healthy and nutrition promoting behaviour and
environments.
 Some of the important life skills that learners need include communication
and interpersonal skills, decision making and critical thinking skills, as well
as coping and self management skills. These life skills help learners to deal
with such issues as the prevention of substance abuse, as well as to
promote healthy nutrition, sanitation hygiene and mental health. They are
particularly valuable in preventing HIV and AIDS as well as reducing
stigmatization for those who are affected.
 Some of the ways we can integrate a skills – based education programmes
into our teaching is through using interactive learning approaches.

31. What can schools do?
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 Be action informed and active.
 Establish partnerships.
 Provide leadership
 Introduce open communication.
 Use participatory teaching methods.
 Use innovative teaching sessions.
 Use gender – responsive approaches.
 Deal with culturally sensitive content.
 Emphasize the value of peer based support.
 Actively use skills – based education.

32. Conclusion
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Our schools should be examples for the community and our learners.
We should not only teach good health, nutrition and hygiene habits;
we should also practice them by being good role models.

33. THANK YOU
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