Teacher's Guide: School Health and Nutrition (CHANGES2)
Foreword
The guide for training teachers and health workers on the School Health and Nutrition (SHN) Programme and the administration of SHN drugs is such an integral part of a holistic provision of good education. The importance of a sound health and nutrition status of the school-going children can not be over emphasized as forming a core requirement of a successful education system. At Zambia's independence in 1964, the responsibility of handling healthy services was a sole responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
Over the years the Ministry of Education (MoE) had been implementing SHN activities through programmes like the child-to-child and the teaching of health and nutrition related subjects. The health and nutrition activities in schools had declined over the years and this resulted in a compromised health and nutrition status of the school-going children eventually undermining their academic performance and ability.
With the revitalization of this programme in the MoE, this guide provides a tool that would assist in addressing the adverse effects that are brought about by the inadequate provision of health and nutrition services to our children in schools.
The successful implementation of the SHN Programme will largely depend on the proper utilization of the guidelines outlines in this manual using a multi-sectoral approach.
