The health and hygiene programmes in a school aim to give pupils the tools with which their potential energies and social, physical, mental and emotional effectiveness can be fully realised. The need for health and hygiene programmes in school can be synthesized in the following broad areas :

1. Practice of health and hygiene rules:

Hygiene is the science of health, which aims at the prevention of disease and the promotion and preservation of health. Its application raises the standards of health of the pupils.

2. Promotion of health:

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The school should develop among students necessary attitude towards health. An understanding of each child’s health need is basic to school learning. The health educator should acquaint the pupils with the function of the body and the rules of health and hygiene. This should be brought to their notice as to how bad habits unhygienic ways of living and addiction to drugs result in evil consequences.

3. Protection of health:

As school in an important agency of the society, founded to fulfill the needs and objectives of the State, for the welfare of the people and to keep pace with changes from time to time and adjust its programmes accordingly. The school should create awareness among the pupils to protect their health from diseases by the health rules, to enjoy positive good health and to protect from diseases. It should be clearly understood that good health is not only absence of diseases, it is a positive concept linked with quality of life.

4. Prevention of diseases:

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For the protection of the health, the authorities should create neat and clean atmosphere with proper hygiene facility inside and surrounding the school building. Provision of proper light and air ventilation must be done in schools.

The students must be taught the mode of transmission of diseases and they should also develop consciousness to fight and prevent communicable disease^, Adequate provision of regular physical education, exercise, games, sports, gymnastics etc., should be a normal part of infrastructure and facilities in school.

5. Participation in health drives:

The aim of school heath education is to disseminate some useful information regarding health through different media. Schools should adopt the policy guidelines of national and international agencies specially organised for propagating health drives and to encourage the students to accept their role in community and national health.