Role of Health Education: Teachers & Students in the Community 

“By education, I mean an all-round drawing of the best in a child and man in body, mind, and spirit” these are very famous words of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens. Every good citizen will make a healthier society. In order to create a healthy society, it is essential to give children proper health education right from their school levels. By providing children with effective health education, schools can significantly decrease their health risks. 

Students spend most of their time in school. So, the teachers play a vital role in developing healthy behaviour in students. Elementary, middle, and secondary schools can and invariably play a powerful role in influencing students’ health-related behaviours. Developing and promoting healthy behaviour also is a part of the curriculum. Healthy behaviour in students helps in getting good academic results. 

The role of teachers is not only to impart knowledge to children but also to shape successful individuals who are ready to live life to the fullest and nurture future generations. Without health, it is impossible.

Health education to students should necessarily include prevention programs, activities to educate students about sanitary standards, and about hygienic conditions.

Teachers should communicate clearly to students in classrooms about topics related to proper nutrition, safe sex, exercise, and healthy relationships. It is essential to inculcate knowledge related to these in students at a young age itself. It should be the responsibility of teachers to teach students about personal hygiene and health education right from the primary level. Moreover, all teachers need to pay special attention to certain things to promote healthy behaviour in school children.

• Every teacher should be knowledgeable about behavioural issues and how to prevent them in school children. If teachers have knowledge regarding behavioural problems, they can easily identify it at its early stage and refer the child for appropriate treatment. Early identification helps to prevent complications of behavioural problems in school children.

• During their free time, teachers are required to spend time with students in the classroom for activities that are not related to academics. Spending time with schoolchildren enables them to discuss and pinpoint any problems they may be having with peers or others.

• Teachers should have positive interactions with the students, it helps the students to develop a relationship and trust with the teachers. When teachers are optimistic or have a good attitude, students are more likely to have confidence in them, trust them, and feel comfortable approaching them for help with their difficulties.

• Teachers should have good observational skills to spot changes in students’ behaviour.The instructor can recognize the behavioural issue at an early stage based on careful observation.

• Teachers should encourage the students to behave well and highlight the benefits of doing so. Teachers must implement instructional initiatives at their institutions to prevent behavioural issues in students.

• Every teacher is required to organise guidance and counselling sessions for the students during school hours. Teachers have to discuss with students regarding their weaknesses or any other behavioural problems in the classroom and also encourage them to follow the rules and regulations of the school and society. This will help the students to come out with their problems and they will try to change their problems.

• Every teacher needs to keep up a positive relationship with the parents of their students, talk to them about the strengths and weaknesses of their children and also learn about the behaviour of students at home and request that they support behavioural therapy.

• The main tasks of the schools are to train and harden willpower and endurance, to form healthy and trained individuals from physically weak people.

In school, we can guide and educate the children about the importance of health and healthy behaviour. Every teacher should feel like a mother and set the students in a good way. So, the school may be the only supportive place where many young people can learn about health and have good behaviour continuously reinforced during their formative years. Additionally, there is a close connection between good health and academic success. While education helps children learn about being healthy, good health helps children grow, develop, and study at their best.