Pact signed for health-promoting educational environment in Oman schools

Muscat: The Ministry of Education, Ministry of and Health, and Al Jisr Charitable Foundation signed a cooperation agreement to support the health promoting schools initiative at Al Jisr Charitable Foundation’s headquarters in Muscat.

The agreement aims to provide a safe and health-promoting educational environment for schools, enabling students to enhance their academic achievement, acquire necessary life skills, and integrate into society.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Education by Dr. Abdullah bin Khamis Ambosaidi, Undersecretary for Education; on behalf of the Ministry of Health by Sulaiman bin Nasser Al-Hajji, Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs; and on behalf of the Al Jisr Charitable Foundation by Dina Al Khalili, Director-General of the Foundation.

On the importance of signing the agreement to support the health promoting schools initiative, Dr. Abdullah bin Khamis Ambosaidi, said: “This initiative, which will be implemented over the next five years, is of great importance in promoting a healthy environment for students, as it is a key tool that positively reflects on their academic achievement.

“The total number of schools participating in this initiative since its launch has reached 566 from various educational directorates in the governorates, in which the various initiative programmes are implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Al Jisr Charitable Foundation.”

Sulaiman bin Nasser Al Hajji, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Administrative and Financial Affairs, stated: “This initiative stems from a strategic partnership to achieve the common good of society and promote health in the school environment, in particular, by improving the learning environment for students, enhancing their academic achievement, protecting them from diseases, reducing their absence from school, enhancing their mental health, and building lasting healthy habits for these students, so that they are more able to focus, pay attention, and learn.”

Regarding the community partnership between Al Jisr Charitable Foundation and the government sector, Dina Al Khalili, the Foundation’s Director-General, said: “This strategic partnership embodies the convergence of healthcare and educational efforts and achieves our shared vision of providing a healthy school environment that enhances students’ academic achievement and develops their necessary life skills.

“We appreciate the role of the Ministries of Education and Health for their trust and cooperation in this initiative, and we affirm our commitment to achieving a sustainable impact for students and society.”

It’s worth noting that Al Jisr Foundation is funding sustainable projects for three schools that have achieved the highest gold rating in the health promoting schools initiative over a five-year period.

It also provides general oversight of the initiative’s implementation and collaborates with a specialised team from both ministries to develop a visual identity and guidelines for the initiative.

It is also working on developing an electronic platform for the initiative, which will be launched at a later time.