Schools can effectively deliver some health and nutritional services provided that the services are simple, safe and familiar and address problems that are prevalent and recognized as important within the community.
School health policies that allow teachers to deliver a simple health package (including anthelmintics and micronutrient supplements) have been shown to be effective, inexpensive and acceptable to teachers and parents. The impact of these school based control programs show tremendous promise for reducing morbidity and increase learning of school age children. (WHO 1999). Teachers need to be trained well to monitor and deal with any side effects of treatment, in cooperation with local health workers.
Large scale school-based health and nutrition programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, India and Indonesia (50,000 to 3 million children) have shown that with training and supervision teachers can administer anthelmintic drugs (albendazole for intestinal nematodes and praziquantel for schistosomiasis) and micronutrient supplements to children at school. Teachers and the community perceived this as an acceptable role for teachers
Policy:
- Training and use of teachers to deliver simple health interventions, in collaboration with health sector workers and with involvement of the local community.
