Forum for Indian Journalists on Education, Environment, Health & Agriculture
A South Asian Initiative on Development Communication
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India's UNESCO Chair Representative advocates health education for a developed nation

For India to become Vikshit Bharat by 2047, we need a healthy and a productive nation. With an average healthy life expectancy of just 60 years, significantly lower than Japan's 74 and China's 69, the poor health of the Indian population hinders it’s progress. It is critically important that we improve the health of the population. Treating diseases is expensive and a major segment of the population does not have access to quality healthcare. Preventing diseases and injuries is the only cost-effective strategy to achieve Viskshit Bharat. To prevent diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental disorders as well as infectious diseases, our lifestyle health habits need to improve. Changing the health habits of an adult is very difficult. The only opportunity is to teach the “health” subject in schools and improve children’s health habits. Health education should cover topics on physical, mental and social health.


Dr Rahul Mehra, India’s National Representative for the UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education and Executive Chairman of Tarang Health Alliance, led a webinar, organised in collaboration with Fijeeha (Forum for Indian Journalists on Education, Environment, Health & Agriculture), advocating for health education in schools. He proposed making health education a core subject alongside literacy and numeracy, with schools dedicating two class periods per week for health lessons, alongside physical activity and nutritious meals.

“Health education is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about embedding habits that promote lifelong well-being. By integrating health lessons into the school curriculum, we prepare children to lead healthier lives, reduce future healthcare burden and ultimately contribute to a stronger and a prosperous India,” Dr Mehra stated.


The workshop also presented the success of Tarang Health Alliance’s pilot projects in Delhi NCR region, Chandigarh area and Jaipur. This year, their Comprehensive School Health Program is being implemented in 30 schools. The program not only focuses on health education of students but also conducts sessions for their parents so that the parents can be good role models of healthy behavior  at home.

 

 

Dr.Mehra emphasized that to achieve Vikshit Bharat, this model needs to be scaled up across all schools in India.