Health Clubs In Rajasthan Schools Soon To Keep Children Off Junk Food

The health clubs will be have 15 members including teachers and students.

Jaipur: Health clubs will soon be formed in schools across Rajasthan to inculcate healthy eating habits among students and keep them away from junk food.

Fast food and junk food have a bad effect on the health of children. While parents are well aware of the fact, they are unable to prevent their kids from gorging on unhealthy food. Now the State's Education Department has taken up this responsibility and will soon form health clubs in government schools of to make children aware of the side effects of fast food. As per the department's directive, students and their teachers will be enrolled in the health clubs.

Features of the health club

1. A health club will have 15 members
2. A teacher will be made the nodal officer
3. Physical education and social science teachers will be the members of the club
4. One student from every class will be included in the club
5. Club meeting will be mandatory every month
6. Past work and strategy for the coming month will be prepared
7. Focus will be given on food safety and proper diet
8. Efforts will be made to make schools tobacco free
9. Focus will also be on making students aware of healthy tiffins

Director of Primary Education Sitaram Jat said the health clubs are being started to make children aware of their health. "If children become aware of their health from a young age, then they will be able to keep themselves and their families healthy," he said, adding the clubs also intend to keep students away from unhealthy habits like smoking.

Educationist Dr. Meenakshi Mishra said children listen to teachers more than they do to their parents. "It is the responsibility of teachers to make students aware of the harm caused by junk food. Junk food does not have nutritional value and reduce simmunity. Children fall sick more often and a time will come when the average age of the coming generation will get reduced. Experts of the Education department have understood this. This is the reason they have emphasized on starting health clubs in schools" she said, adding parents should also be involved in the health clubs. "When parents make changes in the kitchen at home, healthy habits will automatically develop in their wards," Dr Mishra said.

Aiming for Healthy Rajasthan

Teachers' organizations have welcomed the move. Rajasthan Primary Secondary Teachers' Association's state president Vipin Sharma said the initiative of the Education department is commendable. "The message of health awareness through children will also reach their relatives living in rural areas. This will fulfill the objective of Healthy Rajasthan," he said. Similarly, Rajasthan Teachers' Association Integrated state general secretary Ranjit Meena said it is a commendable step taken by the government. "With this, children who turn to drugs at an early age or give more preference to fast food, will get information on the ill-effects of bad habits," he said.

Last year the Education Department had conducted a paperless digital health survey to ascertain the health of school students in the state. As per the data obtained in the digital survey, around 90,000 students in the state are deprived of nutrition.