Montego Bay, April 27, 2019 – Jamaica – Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the draft National Nutrition Policy for schools has been completed and will be brought to Cabinet shortly for deliberations.
The policy, which is being developed in
collaboration with the Education, Youth and Information Ministry, aims to promote
healthy eating and physical activity among students.
“Once finalised, it will become,
essentially, the guide for schools to work with those who provide meals, to be
able to provide a range of options for students, so they are not locked into a
daily diet of excessive salts, sugars, fats and other things that may become a
problem,” he noted.
Dr. Tufton was addressing the Jamaica
Teachers’ Association (JTA) 18th Annual Education Conference on
Thursday (April 25) at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James.
Meanwhile, he noted the “overwhelming
support” at the school level for the recently launched campaign against sugary
drinks.
“I want to thank the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Information and the teachers who manage the schools for
responding so overwhelmingly to the evidence that suggests that too many of our
children are drinking themselves sick because of the over-concentration of
sugary drink,” Dr. Tufton said.
He said that the “strong partnership”
between the ministries will continue in order to promote wellness, improve the
nutritional status of children and support their long-term physical and
psychosocial development.
“So, the idea of wellness is going to
mean regularising physical education right through the cohorts, and ensuring
that our children go outside and play. I know the Ministry of Education is working
on putting that in place, so that [children] see physical activity as a part of
life that must become a habit, not something that they are forced to do but
will mean better for them later on,” he pointed out.
Dr. Tufton encouraged teachers to equip
students with the requisite knowledge to make better decisions regarding diet
and physical activity.
Contact: Nickieta Sterling
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Dr. Garth Anderson (left); and Assistant Secretary General, JTA, Dr. Margaret Chin, show off the Jamaica Moves shirts presented to them by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton (centre), at the JTA’S 18th Annual Education Conference on Thursday (April 25), at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, St. James.
Insert: Members of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) partcipate in a Jamaica Moves workout session during the organisation’s 18th Annual Education Conference, held on Thursday (April 25) at The Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James.
Photos by Nickieta Sterling.