Muscat – The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with World Health Organization, honoured winning schools of the Health Promoting Schools Initiative for the academic year 2022/2023 on Tuesday. 

H E Prof Dr Abdullah bin Khamis Ambosaidi, Undersecretary for Education in the Ministry of Education, Dr Jean Yaqoub Jabour, WHO Representative in Oman, and Dina al Khalili, Director-General of Al Jisr Foundation for Charitable Work, presided over the prize distribution ceremony, which was attended by school principals, department directors and nurses.

In his address, Dr Jabour underscored the objectives of WHO’s Global School Health Initiative to increase the number of ‘health- promoting schools’. He outlined the launch of an electronic platform this academic year, highlighting it as a step in global technological advancement and digitisation.

He added that although definitions will vary depending on need and circumstances, “a health-promoting school can be described as a school that is constantly working to enhance its capacity as a healthy environment to live, learn and work”.

Detailing the initiative, Dr Said bin al Mukhaini, from the School and University Health Department in the Ministry of Education, listed its seven pivotal components – strategies and policies, knowledge and skills development, healthcare services and adoption of health-promoting behaviours, school environment enhancement, mental health, nutrition promotion with food safety, and physical activity promotion.

Relaying Al Jisr Foundation’s commitment to the initiative, Dina emphasised the inseparable link between education and health. 

Concluding the event, the top honours were announced. Hamasa School for Basic Education from Buraimi won the first place. Laila bint Hakeem School for Basic Education in Dhahirah and Hafsa bint Sirin Basic Education School in Buraimi secured the second and third places respectively.