Macuata and Bua Health Promoting Schools Recognised in Labasa
More than 15 schools in the Macuata and Bua District were recognised for achieving Bronze-level status for the progress of its Health Promoting Schools (HPS) initiatives in Labasa on Friday.
Sub-divisional Medical Officer Macuata, Dr Tiko Saumalua, commended the schools for their hard work in helping children become health-conscious.
He re-assured head teachers, principals, teachers, and students that the HPS programme would continue because it was closely aligned to the Ministry of Health’s Annual Operating Plan under its ‘Child Health’, which looks after primary school students and ‘Adolescent Health’ that targets children in secondary schools.
Dr Saumalua said they would continue to assist the Ministry of Education with the usual sub-divisional health school visits whose teams comprise dieticians, health inspectors, dentists, nursing practitioners, and doctors.
He hopes that the non-HPS schools will also adopt this programme as a way of addressing Fiji’s high rate of non-communicable diseases.
Waiqele College Year 12 student Shivnay Datt said he volunteered to be part of the project because he knew it would be good for him and his fellow students.
“Before HPS, I chose unhealthy food; I was not interested in physical activities. But after HPS, I was selected to be part of the Labasa District Under-19 Soccer team. I am now more interested in taking part in physical activities and eating healthy foods too,” Shivnay said. Waiqele College principal Ajay Narayan said after joining the school a year ago he had noticed the positive changes in the students’ attitude.
“We encouraged students to get involved in school gardening and I noticed the students are very interested in it as they also get to practice their entrepreneurial skills,” he said.
“Because the students plant, harvest and sell their produce, the money they make is theirs.”
He said students were also interested in Zumba after they had two sessions already and he had plans to have weekly Zumba classes next year. The awards were distributed at Civic Centre in Labasa.
Some of the schools included:
■ Coqeloa Sangam
■ Draladamu Primary
■ VunikaPrimary
■ Valebasoga Secondary
■ Waiqele College
■ Bulileka Primary
■ Batinikama Primary
■ Daku Primary
■ Domonisavu District
■ Labasa Primary
■ Waiqele Primary
■ Naleba College
■ Nabekavu Primary
■ Naleba Primary
■ Wavuwavu Primary