Strategies:
Given the multidimensional nature of health, there are
many opportunities for cross-curricular learning and
integration. Activities such as the National Service
Scheme, Bharat Scouts and Guides, and the National
Cadet Corps are some such areas. The sciences provide
opportunities for learning about physiology, health and
disease, and the interdependencies between various
living organisms and the physical habitat. The social
sciences could provide insights into community health
as well as an understanding of the spread, control and
cure of infectious diseases from a global
socio-economic perspective. This subject lends itself
to applied learning, and innovative approaches can be
adopted for transacting the curriculum.
The importance of this subject to overall
development needs to be reinforced at the policy level,
with participation by administrators, other subject
teachers in schools, the Health Department, parents
and children. Recognising this subject as a core subject
Health and Physical Education must continue to be a
compulsory subject from the primary, to the secondary
stages, and as an optional subject at the higher secondary
stage. However, it needs to be given equal status with
other subjects, a status that is not being given at present.
In order to transact the curriculum effectively, it is
essential to ensure that the minimum essential physical
space and equipment are available in every school, and
that doctors and medical personnel visit school
regularly. Teacher preparation for this area needs
well-planned and concerted efforts. This subject area,
consisting of health education, physical education and
yoga, must be suitably integrated into the elementary
and secondary pre-service teacher education courses.
The potential of the existing physical education training
institutes should be reviewed and utilised adequately.
Similarly, their appropriate syllabi and teacher training
for transaction of yoga in schools need to be reviewed
and reformulated. It is also essential to ensure that these
concerns are integrated into the activities of the National Service Scheme, the Scouts and Guides, and the
National Cadet Corps.
The 'needs-based approach' could guide the
dimensions of the physical, psychosocial and mental
aspects that need to be included at different levels of
schooling. A basic understanding of the concerns is
necessary, but the more important dimension is that
of experience and development of health, skills and
physical well being through practical engagement with
play, exercise, sports, and practices of personal and
community hygiene. Collective and individual
responsibilities for health and community living need
to be emphasised. Several national health programmes
like Reproductive and Child Health, HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Mental Health have been targeting
children as a focus group with prevention in view. These
demands on children need to be integrated into existing
curricular activities rather than adding these on.
Yoga may be introduced from the primary level
onwards in informal ways, but formal introduction
of yogic exercises should begin only from Class VI
onwards. All interventions, including even health and
hygiene education, must rely on the practical and
experiential dimensions of children's lives. There may
be more emphasis on the inclusion of sports and games
from the local area.
It should be possible to organise the utilisation
of school space, at the block level at least, for special
sports programmes both before school hours and after
school hours to enable children with special talents for
sports to come here for special training and during
vacation periods. It should also be possible to develop
these sports facilities so that many more children can
avail of these for leisure-time sports activities and engage
with team games such as basketball, throwball,
volleyball, and local forms of sports.
