Health statistics database of 20M public school students proposed

MANILA, Philippines - Education Secretary Armin Luistro proposed the establishment of a basic health statistics database covering all the 20 million public school students to enable the Department of Education (DepEd) to identify students most in need of health interventions.

Luistro, in his keynote speech in the opening ceremonies of the five-day 2011 Health and Nutrition Congress in Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City last Tuesday, said that health issues faced by school children may be a major factor in the problem of absenteeism and low school performance of many students in public schools.

Starting a health information sheet for each student entering school, starting initially with those in the pre-school level and Grades 1 to 3, will allow the DepEd School Health and Nutrition Center (SHNC) to better mobilize its personnel and resources to help these school children with health issues, Luistro said.

“By identifying these school children most in need of interventions, our school health personnel can focus their attention on them,” Luistro said.

Luistro said that the basic health statistics that could be gathered under the proposal may include simple information such as the height, weight, eyesight and hearing condition, and possibly even the early childhood health history of a student.

With the Health and Nutrition Congress focusing on “integration”, Luistro challenged school principals and teachers to integrate the gathering of health statistics of students by the students themselves in the various activities in subjects like Math, Science and Social Studies.

Luistro pointed out that the computation of a student’s own body mass index could be made as an activity in the Math subject, and the eyesight and hearing test being made an activity in the Science subject.

“By integrating these health statistic gathering in the curriculum, you test their Math and Science skills and at the same time promote health awareness,” Luistro said.

Some 700 participants composed of medical officers, nurses, dentists, nutritionist-dieticians, and medical assistants including education supervisors on health and nutrition from regional, division and school offices have gathered this week at the Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City for the 2011 Health and Nutrition Congress.

Luistro has tasked the 2011 Health and Nutrition Congress participants to identify and develop solutions to bridge the gaps between health and education; present the current health and nutrition status of school children in public elementary and secondary schools; discuss the strengthened Integrated School Health and Nutrition Program; and enhance the participants’ capacities on school health and nutrition promotion through interactive sessions and sharing of best practices.

“This is envisioned to make the DepEd better able to determine the effectiveness and relevance of its programs and to make this responsive to DepEd’s mission of enhancing the student’s motivation and capacity for learning,” Luistro added.

Addressing the motivation and capacity concerns, he said, will improve learning outcomes and participation rate and also reduce absenteeism.