The Hindu : Health, hygiene in curriculum from this year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Health, hygiene in curriculum from this year

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI June 22. Health and hygiene will be part of the curriculum, with at least two periods a week, for all school children from this academic year. At the end of the year, the students will take an `internal examination' which will be taken into account for evaluation and promotion, according to School Education department officials.

An orientation programme will begin soon for teachers handling the subject.

The department order, issued two weeks ago, noted that the Education Minister announced in the Assembly that health and hygiene would be introduced in schools this year. Later, a panel comprising the Directors of School Education, Elementary Education and Matriculation Education and the State Project Director, along with an Australian educator, Colin Yarham, discussed the issue, and based on its recommendations, the Government took the decision. It would be a subject in Classes I-IX and in Plus-I.

The curriculum would be based on a CD Rom produced by the cardiologist, Solomon Victor, and Dr. Yarham's School Total Health Programme handbook. As per the present plans, separate handbooks would be introduced for classes VI and IX in 2003-04, for VII and XI in 2004-05 and for VIII in 2005-06.

Enquiries with the department show that human anatomy, individual and social health, environment, personal hygiene, safety, nutrition, stopping abuse of narcotic substances and consumer health will be taught, gradually from Standard VI.

For class X, the subject will be part of Science and for XII, part of English. Until the textbooks are produced, Dr. Yarham's handbooks will be used, but a graded approach will be adopted so that the concepts useful to students in each class are disseminated. About 42,000 handbooks will be distributed to schools this year, and later the Tamil Nadu Textbooks Corporation will print the books at a cost of Rs.14 each, says the GO.

The Corporation will, meanwhile, prepare its own textbooks between this year and 2006 at its own cost.

All teachers, physical directors and physical training teachers at the Plus-II level will be given training in teaching the subject. The resource persons will come from the district institutes of education and training, and the training sessions will be held at block resource centres, created as part of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (Education for All).

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