1. NATIONAL SCHOOL HEALTH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMME (SHEP) IN GHANA
PRESENTATION AT
34TH SESSION OF THE SCN
BY CYNTHIA BOSUMTWI-SAM

2. BACKGROUND OF SHEP
1964-Welfare unit school meals programme initiated by Ghana Education Service.
Current SHN programme initiated out of 1990 World Conference on EFA (Jomtien).
Feb/March 1991-School health survey conducted in 4 regions by health education unit of the MOH
A joint programme initiated by Ministry of Education Science & Sports (MoESS) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), in 1992.
MoESS given the lead role; MoH provides technical support.

3. POLICY GOALS
Two out of Ten Policy Goals for Education Delivery in Ghana:
“Promote and inculcate the values of good health and environmental sanitation in schools and institutions of higher learning” (Goal 4)
“Identify and promote educational programmes that will assist in the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS” (Goal 9)

4. VISION OF SCHOOL HEALTH EDUCATION
A well informed healthy school population equipped with life skills, to maintain healthy behaviour.

5. COMPONENT AREAS Skills-based health education
Beneficiaries acquire knowledge and skills, through curricular and co-curricular activities to make informed choices for healthy living.
School health services
Health personnel, teachers and other stakeholders provide screening, deworming, counseling etc services

6. COMPONENT AREAS CONT’D
Food and Nutrition
Promotion of the use of iodised salt in schools
Training for school food vendors in food hygiene and nutrition

7. COMPONENT AREAS CONT’D
Water, Sanitation and environment
Provision of potable water and water harvesting facilities, institutional latrines/toilets and hand washing facilities for schools.
HIV/AIDS Preventive Education
Targeting teachers, students and school community members (Parents and School Management Ctee members)
School Health Policy

8. SCHOOL FEEDING PROGS. Two types of School Feeding Progs:
a) Take home ration for girls in schools in deprived communities in the three regions.
Provision of one hot nutritious meal to primary school children using locally grown foodstuffs (Ghana School Feeding Programme GSFP).

9. SCHOOL FEEDING PROGS. CONT’D
Objectives of GSFP:
-feed all primary school chn
-increase sch attendance and performance
-increase food production and demand
Coverage:
-Pilot in 10 schools (3,000 pupils) nationwide in
-Currently 200 schools (63,000 pupils) being fed.

10. COLLABORATORS Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies
Parent Teacher Associations / School Management Committees
Development Partners –UNICEF, WHO, Danida, JICA, etc
Non Governmental Organisations, Community Based Organisations, Faith Based Organisations etc

11. SHEP NATIONAL LEVEL LINKAGES
Development Partners
DANIDA, UNICEF, JICA,, WHO,WFP etc
MOH – Nutrition
Reproductive & Child Health, School Health, Health Promotion,
Disease Control,
Eye Care etc
MLGRD
Policy Planning & Management Unit
MoESS
SHEP
Narcotics Control Board
Road Safety Commission
Red Cross Society
MWRW&H
CWSA
NGOs
CONIWAS, WVI, Plan Ghana etc.

12. NATIONAL COLLABORATION - HOW? (NATIONAL DEWORMING PROG.)
GHS strategy to control anaemia in school age children; GES Operational Plan strategy.
Target of 1st round: to deworm 4.5 million public basic school children.
The 2 ministries set up a Task force to:
- Identify responsibilities of stakeholders
- develop materials
- pilot deworming/baseline survey
- train trainers and teachers
- develop media strategy

13. LINKAGES WITH HIV/AIDS SECRETARIAT OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION SCIENCE AND SPORTS
Minister of Education,Sc & Sports
Chief Director
HIV/AIDS Secretariat
17 Agencies (GES, WAEC, NFED,etc)
SHEP

14. DISTRICT LEVEL LINKAGES
GES SHEP
Coordinator
DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
District Water & Sanitation Team
Environmental Health Assistants
HIV/AIDS Focal Person
GHS
DISTRICT HEALTH MGT.TEAM
Community Health Nurse
NGOs

15. Head teacher, School-based Health Coordinator, Pupils Reps
SCHOOL LEVEL LINKAGES
School Health Committee
Head teacher, School-based Health Coordinator, Pupils Reps
Community Rep
PTA
Food Vendors
SMC
Health
Worker

16. CHALLENGE
Since there are so many players involved at the various levels, there is the need for efficient coordination.

17. THANK YOU