Cherish Conference SPS' Speech

SPEECH BY
MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI BMM, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
AT THE CHERISH CONFERENCE: YOUR NEXT LEAP IN HEALTH PROMOTION 
14 JULY 2008, AT 11.20AM
AT THE GRAND BALLROOM, BUKIT BATOK CIVIL SERVICE CLUB

Mr Wong Yew Meng,
Chairman, Health Promotion Board

Mr Lam Pin Woon
Chief Executive Officer, Health Promotion Board

Associate Professor Lawrence St Leger
School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University

Principals

Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning

Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to join all of you here this morning for the CHERISH Conference: Your Next Leap in Health Promotion . I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the schools which received the CHERISH Awards during the Joint HPB-MOE CHERISH Award Ceremony on 26 June 08. I hope all schools, including the Junior Colleges, will join the effort in building health-promoting schools and do their best for their students.

Correlation between Education and Health
The CHERISH Award itself is not the be all and end all in a school s effort to be a health-promoting school. Striving towards a health-promoting school must be a continuous process and not regarded as an award chasing exercise. There are real benefits that can be reaped. This is what WHO concluded after years of research, Good health supports successful learning. Successful learning supports health. Education and health are inseparable. Indeed, research has established the relationship between school enrolment and participation and improved health outcomes. There is a strong correlationship between good health and academic achievement.

Just a few weeks ago, the Inter-Ministry Committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child held a forum to discuss Singapore s latest report. We have been consistently doing our best for our children. We have made education compulsory and every child has the right to education, health and security. Hence, schools are placed in a unique position to promote health and development for children. Through schools, children can develop their full potential; mitigating the impact of social and economic disadvantage. This can only happen if education, health and other sectors work together.

Managing obesity is a good example of the close link between education and health. Childhood obesity is a troubling trend in both developed and developing countries. The culture of fast food, upsized portions and increasingly sedentary pastimes, what many experts now call the obesogenic (pronounced - b s- s - j -nik) environment , has resulted in an increased rate of obesity and related health problems. If we do not address the problem early, obesity among children may put them at a high risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and other health problems in adult life. 

Our students are at an impressionable age. They must be guided and motivated to move away from undesirable lifestyle habits. Teachers are among the most important influences in the lives of school-going children between the ages of 6 and 18. Youths spend more waking hours with their teachers than with their families. Thus, as important role models, teachers are often gatekeepers for students seeking health services. It is not only health education teachers who are most clearly involved in improving students awareness of health issues, almost all teachers also have the opportunities to influence adolescent health behaviour, especially when it comes to making decisions relating to their health.

Teachers in Canberra Secondary School are excellent examples. The school chose to leverage on the Olympic mood and have the whole school run an accumulative distance of 137,000 km - similar to what the Olympic Games 2008 Torch Relay covers. The teachers and the principal himself ran with the students. Another interesting fact - parents and friends of the students also joined in chalking up the total distance covered. 

The Next Leap in Health Promotion
I understand that for this year, the Joint HPB-MOE CHERISH Award drew more than 300 applications from the schools. It is heartening to know that two schools have been given the platinum award, 30 schools the gold award and 123 schools the silver. I am sure the schools will continue to improve in their efforts for health promotion.

While it is important to put in place the processes and to promote holistic health within the school system, schools must also be aware of the complex contexts for promoting health in the 21st Century. For instance, the globalisation of food culture, demographic changes, technological innovation and climate changes have an impact on the way we do things and deploy our resources.

It is timely for schools to review strategies and take that bold leap in their health promotion efforts. Schools must aim higher, strengthen their community collaborations and be more committed in health promotion.

I recognise that making that leap is not easy. There will be challenges and obstacles ahead that may impede you from reaching your goal. In July 1969, upon landing on the moon, Neil Armstrong said, That s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. I think this quotation is very appropriate for today s conference. If schools choose to remain where they are right now and not to take that first step towards change, imagine how many students and staff will miss the giant leap. The future is what we do in the present.

To facilitate this leap in health promotion, perhaps it is also apt for me to share about the inter-agency collaboration to promote health among the young. In 2006, the Committee on Healthy and Active Children (CHAC) was formed with representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Health Promotion Board, Singapore Sports Council, National Institute of Education and other professional organisations such as the Nutrition and Dietetics Association.

This year, the Healthy Youth Committee (HY Com) was formed to continue and enhance the roles and responsibilities of CHAC. HY Com aims to establish a common vision for healthy lifestyle among school children and advocate a unified goal of nurturing holistic health and the development of the young among the different Ministries and agencies. Aligning the health promoting efforts of the various Ministries and agencies which play a key role in influencing the health of the young is also another area of focus for the HY Com.

I am glad that Prof Lawrence St. Leger is here today to share with us what we can do at the next milestone for health-promoting schools. I look forward to hearing from him how we can make our health promotion programmes more effective and sustainable.

Holistic Health Approach
Though we have progressed to a holistic health development approach, we have to continue to ensure that our students physical health is being monitored and developed. Physical fitness will provide our students with the capability to better enjoy sporting and non-sporting activities. The example on obesity which I mentioned earlier is not the only aspect of health that schools should be concerned about. The concept of holistic health encompasses nutrition, physical activity, mental wellness, as well as youth smoking control.

School programmes have been important agents for change in addressing risk factors for non-communicable diseases and improving mental health. I am aware that HPB has a range of health promotion programmes to support schools in their health promotion efforts.

Schools that are successful in promoting health are those that create or leverage on opportunities to promote health on a number of fronts. Such schools typically have strong and supportive leadership in health promotion, engage all members of the school community, attend to the physical and social environments in which students and staff learn, work and play and use a variety of ways and avenues to promote health.

Schools would also need to have sustainable programmes and processes for health development. These would need to be brought about by the concerted and sustained efforts put in by the school staff, parents, students and the community, which includes the schools' partners. Role-modelling by adults is one of the more effective ways of getting students to follow by example in developing health.

Allow me to illustrate this through the efforts that were taken by the recipients of the Platinum Award this year. In Princess Elizabeth Primary School, this is exemplified by the strong leadership in health promotion and the internalisation of the health beliefs by the stakeholders such as staff, pupils and parents. The essence of health promotion is also evident in all corners of the school. For example, the teachers designed simple board games on healthy lifestyle and smoking control and have them pasted on the canteen tables. In this way, health messages are reinforced to students even during their leisure time in a fun way.

In Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, the school leaders set the right tone for health promotion and provide strong support to carry this through. The various school stakeholders such as students, teachers, parents and even the canteen vendors are aware of their respective roles in health promotion and carry out their part with diligence and enthusiasm.

Conclusion
It is encouraging to see that our schools are actively engaging the students, staff and the community in health promotion. I hope you will take this opportunity to learn from the various success stories and best practices shared at today s conference and make the leap in health promotion. I wish all of you a fruitful and meaningful conference.

Thank you.