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A SOUND PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

Schools Total Health Program - PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

In line with the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and in order to promote the health of all children, it is essential that there should be an educational program which has as its prime goal the development and maintenance of good health. It is essential that there is political will and intersectorial support for its implementation. The future of the each country depends on healthy children.

A comprehensive, integrated, child-centred, activity grounded health education curriculum is thus required as a core subject in the total curriculum of all schools. The Schools Total Health Program has been uniquely planned and designed to empower children of with the knowledge, attitudes and skills of healthful living. It is suffused with anticipation and participation skills to ensure the sequential coverage of topics to meet the child's growth needs throughout its school career. In its concern for the quality of life and growth of the child, the program respects the past, recognises the present and plans for the future.

This program recognises the dimensions of health:

and defines health as optimal personal fitness for full creative living. Health Education is the application of a wide range of learning experiences to facilitate voluntary adaptation of lifestyle to the practices of good health. The teaching must be positive in approach, infused with health promotion, and taught in an atmosphere of care, compassion, concern, respect and good will. Each area should be taught by inculcating living skills methodology so that each health message is internalised for life. The school is visualised as a centre for education for the family and for the whole community, and the Schools Total Health Program should be a unique vehicle for outreach and interaction. This curriculum is dedicated to the better health and well-being of all children.

Schools Total Health Program - GOALS

This curriculumis designed with the purpose of :

• Promoting the development and maintenance of the health of all children.
• Recognising health as an essential life asset and of primary concern for an optimal quality of life.
• Enhancing the development of self-reliance and responsibility in each child for their own health and that of their family and community.
• Placing emphasis on the importance of establishing an involvement model to obtain a practice ground for action-oriented, child-centred teaching and learning about health.
• Encouraging development of living skills to enhance understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to maintain health.
• Developing a systematic approach to incrementally dealing with eight critical areas of curriculum throughout the 12 years of schooling.
• Strengthening basic teaching/learning capacity through use of innovative methods and strategies.
• Enhancing the development of a comprehensive program in a health promoting physical and emotional school environment.
• Strengthening school-community relationships.
• Creating an understanding of the multi-faceted nature of health and the need for the education of both girls and boys in all the elements of health.
• Providing a sustainable, on-going program to meet the urgent international and community problem of HIV/AIDS.

locally developed - comprehensive in content - improving teaching and learning processes - info@hepi.net