DepEd looking into public school kids’ health
The Department of Education in Iloilo City will focus on the health of students in all public elementary schools as part of the Nutrition Month celebration, a report of the Philippine National Agency said.
Iloilo City schools division superintendent, Dr. Erlinda Gencaya, said the DepEd is concerned with the weight of most pupils in the elementary level.
Although this year’s Nutrition Month event centers on providing proper food and weight of babies, Gencaya said the weight of students should also be monitored.
Most underweight students were underfed and undernourished when they were babies, she said.
Gencaya said that students who were not properly fed and are underweight tend to underperform in their subjects. They are also finding it hard to concentrate in classes. The same tendency is also noticed among obese students.
It is important that parents monitor the food of their children eat and feed them healthy food. She also reminded parents to stop giving their children junk foods, especially during break times.
Meanwhile, Gencaya said the DepEd is also keen on promoting this year’s July nutrition month celebration theme: “Sa Pag-kaing Tama at Sapat, Wastong Timbang ni Baby ang Katapat.”
She said all the city schools are requested to fully support the celebration and include it in their subjects especially on health.
Meanwhile, Nona Tad-y, nutrition program coordinator of the National Nutrition Council , said they are coordinating with the DepEd to fully promote the values of nutrition among students.
There are more than 50 public elementary schools in Iloilo with over 45,000 students. This number does not include students from the private schools.
