National School Health and Nutrition Strategy of 2006.

This National Strategy on School Health and Nutrition (SHNP) is a nationwide sectoral document developed to integrate health and nutrition into school education. Its main goal is to develop the physical, mental, emotional, and educational status of the school children. This goal is supported by the following 4 strategic objectives (i) improve the use of SHN services by school children; (ii) improve healthy school environment; (iii) improve health and nutrition behaviors and habits; (iv) improve and strengthen community support system and policy environment.
To help eliminate malnutrition, the Strategy mainly suggests (i) to build the capacity of the different levels of key players involved in school health and nutrition services; (ii) develop the provision of mandatory school tiffin or midday meal in a gradual manner by increasing involvement of parents; (iii) improve nutritional components of the school meals; (iv) promote and extend school feeding program; (v) develop life skills needed for making health and nutrition related decisions; (vi) integrate school-based health and nutrition services that contribute to the needs of students and school personnel into the existing health services in the school and in the community.
In order to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, main interventions regard the dissemination of the basic rules of hygiene and sanitation at the community and consequently school level, among others (i) provision of safe and adequate drinking water; (ii) provision of safe water and sanitation; (iii) reinforce health and hygiene education; and (iv) improve prevention and control of possible communicable diseases and nutritional deficiencies.
As for Governance, the institutional framework for effective implementation of SHNP will comprise various levels, from a policy level national structures to the district and school-level implementing mechanisms. At the National level, the School Health and Nutrition Steering Committee (SHNSC) will be constituted as the overall central policy-making body for SHNP nationwide. The Regional Directors of Education and Health will coordinate and monitor the district SHN programs. At the District level, District School Health and Nutrition Coordination Committee (DSHNCC) will be set up for formulating district-level SHN plans and policies, program implementation, coordination and monitoring mechanisms based on SHNSC recommendations. MOES/DoE and MoHP/DoHS in consultation and support from NGOs and line ministries will develop guidelines for monitoring, evaluation and reporting on SHNP. A regular system for sharing of reporting, monitoring and evaluation outcomes will be developed at the central level.