A child’s health is essential for education.
Author: Sammar Gul Samsoor
Thousands of newly enrolled students are going through health checkups at the Ghazni Regional Management Office of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan’s CBCs/CBSs (Community Based Classes/Schools) by the doctors for infectious diseases, visual impairment/hearing impairment in the covered districts of Paktika and Ghazni provinces every year, to remove existing barriers against their quality education.
According to the SCA’s School Health Manual, the purpose of these health checkups is to diagnose diseases in students which can harm their learning process.
According to Dr. Rozi Mohammad, School Health Officer, “I have often encountered such students in the rural areas who suffered from malnutrition, infectious diseases or even hearing / visual impairment”. However, he said that the family was immediately alerted and instructed to take care of him to act for the health of the child/student.
Those students with visual/hearing impairment are placed in the front row of the classroom for better input.
Swedish Committee in agreement with the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan have opened all its schools and classes since few months in which students and teachers are given all the facilities to prevent COVID-19 pandemic and in addition to the newly enrolled students, so far the health condition of about 2,500 students boys/girls are checked.