SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2020) The Health Promotion Department, HPD, at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, SCFA, has revealed the outcomes of its study to assess the health-supporting services in Sharjah schools and nurseries ahead of implementing the updated standards of the Healthy Schools Programme.
The survey is composed of 11 sections and targeted the administrative and teaching staff in the public and private schools and nurseries in Sharjah.
The results found that 70 percent of the private schools have green spaces for practising physical activity, while the percentage in public schools is 58 percent and in public nurseries 74 percent. The study also revealed that 86 percent of the private schools have a healthy food supply policy, and it is 100 percent in public schools, whilst this criterion does not apply to public nurseries where it depends 100 percent on children’s lunchboxes.
When it comes to adopting healthy instructions in the canteen, the results showed that 86 percent of private schools follow healthy instructions in the canteen, while the percentage in public schools reached 90.5 percent. This criterion is also not applicable to public nurseries, however, there are requirements to prevent unhealthy food by 96 percent.
About 58 percent of private schools employ canteen workers after having completed a food safety course, while the percentage in public schools reached 54 percent. For public nurseries, this criterion is not applicable, however, the children’s lunchboxes are 100 percent monitored by nursery supervisors. The results indicated that 85 percent of private schools accept students of people of determination, while the percentage in public schools is 60 percent in all cases and 40 percent in certain cases. In public nurseries, 65 percent of specific cases are accepted.
In terms of obesity among students and schools’ endeavours to tackle this issue, the outcomes found that 88 percent of private schools deal with obesity cases among students and grapple with the issue, while the percentage in public schools reached 98 percent, and in public nurseries 83 percent. Among the other results was that 71 percent of private schools organise joint activities between students and parents, while the percentage in public schools is 62 percent, and this criterion does not apply to public nurseries.
"The study included scientific and accurate results with important implications and outputs that will contribute to the implementation of the new standards of the Healthy Schools Program according to the highest international levels," said Iman Rashid Saif, Director, Health Promotion Department, "The results have proven the quality of health-supportive services in Sharjah schools and nurseries."
The results found that 100 percent of private schools and public nurseries have a clinic inside the school, while the percentage in public schools reached 97 percent. Hundred percent of private schools, public schools and nurseries have an evacuation plan, while 99 percent of private schools, 100 percent of public schools, and 96 percent of public nurseries have a first-aid kit.
The study also found that schools are committed to training their staff on first-aid, where 100 percent of private schools have trained staff, while the percentage in public schools reached 94 percent, and in public nurseries was 91 percent.
