“Health is inextricably linked to educational achievements, quality of life, and economic productivity. By acquiring health-related knowledge, values, skills, and practices, children can be e

The maiden edition of National School Health Summit. It will serve as a first-of-its-kind platform to converge different stakeholders in the field of School Health and facilitate movement towards a shared understanding of the emerging challenges. The aim of the Summit is to promote end-to-end synergy among stakeholders and develop cross-sector collaboration to improve the scenario of school healthcare in the country.

 The Summit will also host the inaugural edition of SCHOOL HEALTH AWARDS 2020 that will celebrate the efforts made by different stakeholders to bring a postive change.

Schooling is one of the most crucial stages in a person’s life. The impressions made, perceptions developed and lessons learnt at this time, leaves a lasting impact on a person. It is also the stage when one is most susceptible to overlook important matters that can affect their whole lives, one of them being Health. In India, due to poverty, and prevailing socio-cultural milieu a substantial number of school-going children of all age groups suffer from various diseases. Having its dawn with First School Health Programme in 1909 in Baroda to the Bhore Committee recommendations in 1946, and formation of School He alth Committee in 1960, School Health has come a long way as a part of Government Schemes, Initiatives by schools and communities, interventions by NGOs, Corporates, etc. Still, ensuring equitable, quality healthcare to all school students in India seems like a distant dream.

There are over 128.3 million children in primary and nearly 50 million children in upper primary levels of schooling. The question of school health brings us to the age-old debate between the relationship of nutrition status, school performance and intelligence. While nutrition status and clinical assessment are important, there can be seen a need for reasserting comprehensive school health approach, where good health is an end in itself and not a prerequisite for intelligence. Health education has increasingly become associated with school health services (like annual health checkups) and the school curriculum (mid-day meal). But it doesn’t even begin the grasp the intensity of the problem. In order to witness any significant change in the context of school health, epidemiological and socio-economic parameters will have to be tapped into. We will have to go beyond the conventional ideas of health and well-being; and move towards innovation, information sharing and capitalizing collaboration with different stakeholders. A conversation on India’s school health needs is indispensable and one that is long overdue. This Summit will serve as a platform to take the conversation on school health forward and bring in light sustainable solutions for the betterment of health of school students. Not to forget, Healthy Student is the bedrock of a Healthy Nation.