15 Apr 2019

Parent and teacher engagement is paramount to positive change in schools.

Speaking during a Kidz Academy’s International School Health Day recently, integrated management of childhood illness regional coordinator, Ms Dianah Setumo, said both parties could be effective in bringing about positive change in their children’s schools.

“Therefore, equipping parents with the knowledge and skills to support a healthy school environment is a key strategy for improving their children’s overall health and academic success,” she said.

Ms Setumo said there was evidence that support motivated healthy pupils to perform well.

She spoke of the need to provide opportunities for pupils to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviours as well as provide access to health services for students with chronic health conditions.

To that end, she said it was the school, parents, community and health professionals that were responsible to mould the youth and protect them against HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and other social ills by forming part of the daily education to the pupils.

She challenged churches to come on board, adding that health care sector alone could not manage to reduce illness and prevent deaths.

Ms Setumo said there was decline in life expectancy in the country, noting even parents could no longer tell their children that they will live longer than their parents hence asking a rhetorical question, why?

She said it had been found that children under five years were prone to diseases and likely to die in developing countries and Botswana was not spared.

She said to counter the situation, government invested in facilities and health workers.

However, maternal and infant mortality, remained a challenge, she said.

She was of the view that girls were disproportionately affected by HIV as well as harmful social norms and beliefs.

She said schools presented a platform to share experiences and ideas on how best health professionals, stakeholders and the community could work together to improve health of the pupils, staff and t community. ENDS