State lauded for execution of school health programme

Panaji: Health check-ups of all 1.6 lakh students, from classes I to VIII, were carried out in schools across Goa during the 2019-20 academic year, the state government has told the central government. The check-ups are carried out under the national school health programme.
As part of the midday meal scheme, the Union ministry of education reviews the school health programme at the end of each academic year. The state’s performance for 2020 has received praise. The ministry, however, observed that Goa had not carried out the requisite social audit of the midday meal scheme.

Until 2017, Goa fared poorly under national school health programme, with just about 1,400 of the 1.6 lakh students getting the mandated health check-up during the academic year. The state’s performance appears to have improved drastically in 2019-20.

Under the programme, the directorate of health services (DHS) must also provide micro- nutrients, vitamin A, iron and folic acid tablets and de-worming medicine to children. It is also required to record parameters like height and weight of all the school students.

The state government has told the centre that under the Rashtriya Bal Swathaya Karyakram all the 1.6 lakh students have been provided deworming tablets. Another 1.3 lakh students were provided iron and folic acid tablets and 949 students were provided with spectacles. None of the students were given the Vitamin A supplements.

In its review, the ministry highlighted the importance of a social audit of the midday meal scheme. “A social audit is a collective monitoring of a scheme by people’s active involvement. It promotes people’s participation in all stages of implementation of the programme. It brings about transparency and accountability. It strengthens decentralised governance. Goa has not conducted social audit in both districts,” it noted.

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