School Health Programme under Ayushman Bharat
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School Health Programme Ayushman Bharat 2024 2025
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Ayushman Bharat School Health Wellness Programme components guidelines
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School Health Programme Ayushman Bharat components objectives thematic areas
School Health Programme under Ayushman Bharat
Overview
The School Health and Wellness Programme (SH&WP) is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Education (formerly Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India. It was incorporated as part of the Health and Wellness component of Ayushman Bharat and formally launched in February 2020.
The programme operates on the premise that establishing healthy behaviours during childhood is easier and more effective than changing unhealthy behaviour during adulthood. Schools are treated as a critical platform for preventive healthcare delivery.
Background & Linkage to Ayushman Bharat
Ayushman Bharat has four major components:
- Ayushman Arogya Mandir (formerly Health and Wellness Centres)
- PM-JAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana)
- School Health & Wellness Programme
- Mental Health and other initiatives
The SH&WP strengthens two pre-existing programmes:
- RBSK – Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (child health screening)
- RKSK – Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (adolescent health)
Objectives
- Provide age-appropriate information about health and nutrition to school children
- Promote healthy behaviours children will carry for life
- Detect and treat diseases early — including malnutrition and anaemia — with referrals to PHCs and hospitals
- Promote safe drinking water use in schools
- Strengthen health promotion, disease prevention, and access to health services in an integrated manner
- Address emerging social morbidities: injuries, violence, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviours, psychological and emotional disorders
Core Mechanism: Health and Wellness Ambassadors (HWAs)
The central delivery mechanism is the HWA system:
- Two teachers per school (preferably one male + one female) are designated as Health and Wellness Ambassadors
- They are trained through a cascade training model:
- State-level trainers → District-level trainers (Medical Officer + Counsellor)
- District trainers → Block-level trainers (BMO, RBSK doctor, BRC Coordinators)
- Block trainers → Two HWAs per school (5-day training)
- HWAs conduct one hour of interactive health activity every week with students
Progress (as of November 2024): ~10.56 lakh HWAs trained across 484 districts in 35 States/UTs
11 Thematic Areas
HWAs transact health promotion content across 11 thematic areas:
| # | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nutrition and healthy dietary practices |
| 2 | Health and disease (communicable and non-communicable) |
| 3 | Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) |
| 4 | Mental health and well-being |
| 5 | Personal hygiene and menstrual hygiene |
| 6 | Growth and development (puberty, adolescence) |
| 7 | Substance misuse and drug abuse prevention |
| 8 | Internet safety and cyber health |
| 9 | Injuries and violence (including gender-based violence) |
| 10 | Reproductive and sexual health |
| 11 | Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and healthy lifestyles |
Services Provided under SH&WP
1. Preventive & Promotive Services
- Weekly Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation for students aged 6–19 years (anaemia prevention)
- National Deworming Days — Albendazole administered in schools to eradicate intestinal worms
- Sanitary napkins provided under the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) guidelines
- Age-appropriate vaccination
2. Health Screening (via RBSK)
- Screening for 32 diseases/conditions with appropriate referrals
- Identification of malnourished and anaemic children
3. Electronic Health Records
- Individual electronic health record for each child, documenting height, weight, haemoglobin, and other parameters (health/nutrition cards)
4. Referral Services
- Adolescents requiring further services referred to Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) or nearest public health facility
5. Emergency Care
- Training of teachers in basic first aid and emergency care skills
6. Adolescent Health and Wellness Days (AHWDs)
- Events held at schools to generate awareness around adolescent health issues
- 1.61 lakh AHWDs held in FY 2024–25 (till Sept 2024)
Peer Educator Programme
Complementing the HWA system, Peer Educators (PEs) are selected adolescents trained to conduct sustained peer education covering:
- Nutrition
- Sexual and reproductive health
- NCD risk conditions
- Substance misuse
- Injuries and violence (including GBV)
- Mental health
Progress (FY 2024–25, till Sept 2024): 2.91 lakh PEs selected; 1.61 lakh PEs trained
UNESCO–CBSE–NCERT Collaboration
A separate stream of the programme operates through a tripartite partnership between UNESCO, CBSE, and NCERT:
- Targets 30,000 CBSE-affiliated schools (not just government schools)
- Aims to enhance physical and mental health and education outcomes of 15 million learners at upper primary and secondary levels
- Aligns with SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 4 (Quality Education)
Current Status (2024–25)
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Districts covered | 484 |
| States/UTs | 35 |
| HWAs trained (cumulative, Nov 2024) | ~10.56 lakh |
| Peer Educators trained (FY 24–25 till Sept) | 1.61 lakh |
| AHWDs conducted (FY 24–25 till Sept) | 1.61 lakh |
Significance
- Integrates health promotion into the education system without creating a parallel infrastructure
- Targets India's 253 million+ school-age children (6–16 years) — the world's largest young demographic
- Aligns with India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which mandates health, nutrition, physical education, and wellness as core competencies
- Strengthens the continuum of care from community (Ayushman Arogya Mandir) to school level
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