P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Health is a major factor affecting the learning capacity of a person.  A recent territory wide surveillance of student health conducted by the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion of The Chinese University of Hong Kong revealed that 14% of local students had their normal daily activities being interfered most of the time by their physical health and emotional health problems, and over 50% did not perform vigorous exercise regularly.  The Centre also found in a Tai Po study that more than half of the students did not eat fresh fruit and/or fresh vegetable at least once a day, and those with emotional problems tended to eat 'junk' food. Hence, there is an urgent need to promote the concept of Health Promoting Schools where all members of the school community work together to provide students with positive thinking and environment to promote and protect their health.  

With the support of the Quality Education Fund (QEF), the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion together with the Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, the Subsidized Primary Schools Council and Hong Kong Special Schools Council launched the 'Healthy Schools' Programme in 1998.  This year the Centre together with the three school councils were awarded HK$22 million by QEF to launch a territory wide 'Healthy Schools Award' Scheme over the next three years.  The scheme has gained the endorsement from the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region. The WHO, the Education Department together with the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion of the Chinese University will be the awarding bodies.  This is first territory wide 'Healthy Schools' movement that gained recognition from WHO.

Dr. Linda Milan, Director of Building Healthy Communities and Populations WHO, Western Pacific Region said at the opening ceremony of the scheme, "In 1995, WHO launched the Global School Health Initiative as an important strategy to mobilize and strengthen health promotion and education activities at the local, national, regional and global levels.  WHO pursued this by supporting the development of Health-Promoting Schools. I am delighted to witness the initiation of the Health Promoting Schools Programme in Hong Kong by the Chinese University three years ago.  Under the leadership of Professors Lee Shiu-hung and Albert Lee, the programme has expanded to actively involve not only the schools, but the community as well.  I admire their vision of launching the Hong Kong Healthy Schools Award Scheme to build on the concept of Health Promoting Schools.  This will no doubt focus efforts beyond just individual behaviourial change towards one of organizational structure change in improving the quality of the lives of students.”
 
Mr. Anthony Tong, Deputy Director of Education Department said, "The health of school children has always been our concern.  Investment in training up a healthy young generation is most valuable asset to our society.  We need our young generation with a sound mind and body to take up the new challenges in this century.  Recent research studies have shown some worrying results of our young people with problems of overweight, lack of physical activities, imbalance diet, low self esteem, emotional stress and lack of self confidence.  It is a matter of urgency for a comprehensive school programme promoting healthy youth development.”

Professor Albert Lee, Director of Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion said, "The Hong Kong Healthy Schools Award Scheme provides a structured framework for the development as well as a system of monitoring progress and recognition of achievement.  It also aims to promote staff development, parental education, involvement of whole school community, and linkage with different stakeholders so as to improve the health and well-being of the pupils, parents and staff, and the community at large.  In fact the scheme provides new initiatives for school based management because it is built by overcoming a series of challenges at the centre and periphery by changing long established behaviours and attitudes, developing new skills, and encouraging people to take creative risk." 

What is Healthy Schools Award Scheme?
During 1995, a set of guidelines on the establishment, improvement and maintenance of health promoting schools was produced and endorsed by WHO.  The framework of the guidelines consisted of components and checkpoints for health promoting schools in six areas including:
* School health policies
* School physical environment
* School social environment
* Community relationships
* Personal health skills
* Health services

How to Achieve the Healthy Schools Award?
Three levels of award – bronze, silver and gold will be awarded basing on a credit point system.  For a particular level of award, the school must have achieved the required credit points on relevant items.  Different components will provide different credit points.  Schools can choose the components to work on.  A certificate, jointly validated by the World Health Organization, the Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Education Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government, will be presented to the school.  Schools with the award may display an appropriate logo on their stationary and within the school building.

Over 40 schools from all over Hong Kong have already enrolled the scheme.  It is aimed that 100 schools will be participating by 2004.  Once training kits and procedures, and the protocols are well developed, the scheme can be widely used and replicated in other schools territory-wide.