22 World Health • 49th Year, No.4, July-August 1996
Greater awareness - better health
Jyotika Singh
Health experts from other Pacific island countries visit the Suva Grammar School in Fiji, to see how pupils learn about health and the environment.
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uva Grammar School set up its"Health Environment Commit- tee" in 1995 to look into matters relating to health promotion in the school. This is a fully government- owned secondary school with just under 1500 pupils, making it one of the largest schools in Fiji. It is a coeducational day school with a multi-ethnic population, offering classes for pupils from Year 7 (Form 1) through to Year 13 (Form 7).
The membership of the Commit- tee is drawn from all the school de- partments but is on a voluntary basis.
Since becoming operational the Committee has undertaken a number of activities, aimed both at improving the physical environment of the school and at dealing with the health concerns of its pupils.
A campaign to increase environ- mental awareness among pupils included a calendar poster competi- tion organized by the Curriculum Development Unit of the Ministry of Education. We ran clean-up cam- paigns in the classrooms and sur- rounding areas, and each form was allocated areas where they could plant trees and shrubs. All drains have been cleared to control mos- quito breeding areas.
The Suva Waste Disposal Company and the Scrap and Metal Company both agreed to make waste bins available at no cost to the school. One of the first projects undertaken by the Committee was to make pupils aware of the litter prob- lem in the school. The juniors, with their science teachers, mapped the most polluted zones in order to make everyone litter-conscious. As part of a health education effort in the school, sanitation, waste disposal, toilet hygiene and personal hygiene have been continually highlighted in the classroom.
An obesity survey was carried out in 1995, and this year we have de- cided to make obesity our priority project. Besides assisting the pupils by working out their recommended daily allowances of food and moni- toring them, we have introduced an aerobics class, twice a week, to help overweight pupils and teachers to work out a physical fitness programme together. The school tuck shop sells only fresh, locally produced fruits and drinks on desig- nated days.
To improve the natural environ- ment, shrub and tree planting pro- jects have been carried out around
the whole school, and there will be a special tree-planting ceremony this year to commemorate Arbor Week.
In time for World Health Day, 7 April, we prepared vegetable gardens where only dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach) and legumes were planted.
Lack of finance is a major con- straint. However, we have not been deterred by this, and succeeded in securing sponsorship from a leading retailer to get our environmental campaign started. A lot more is needed for the purchase of more garbage bins, sanitary cleaning agents, mosquito control equipment, and so on.
The challenge now is to maintain the enthusiasm and motivational- ready generated among staff and pupils. Active support from con- cerned authorities would give our efforts a big boost. For anyone wish- ing to put the health-promoting school concept into action, it is imperative to have the support of the school man- agement, the staff and the pupils - and to think of creative ways of over- coming the financial constraints. •
Mr )yotika Singh is a teacher at Suva Grammar School, Suva, Fiji.
