Health Education is a process by which individual and groups of people learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance or restoration of health and wellbeing.
The Primary Health Education curriculum addresses planned learning experiences which will assist learners to achieve age – appropriate desirable understandings, attitudes and practices related to range of critical health issues which they are faced with today and through out their lifetime.
The major goal of health education curriculum in primary school is the development of health literacy in all students. Health Education provides learners with age –appropriate information, knowledge, skills, positive attitude and informed decisions to make healthy choices in life. The emphasis of information learned by the Learners is supported with skill development and practices in order to have some impact on behaviour.
Health education will enable learners to develop appropriate knowledge, understandings, skills and practices to support and promote health enhancing behaviours, maintain and improve their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health wellbeing.
Current national efforts to improve the health of Solomon Islanders urge individuals to consistently practice behaviours that promote lifelong personal health and well- being, importance of making wise healthy food choices, developing positive health behaviours and healthy lifestyle, preventing diseases, access to quality health care services, promote the health of others, the community and the environment.
The health-related behaviours are both learned and changeable; there is no better time to initiate formal health education than in primary school years, when the child is more flexible and forming health behaviours. Research has consistently confirmed and given a clear message: by promoting healthy behaviours, schools can increase a student’s capacity to learn, reduce absences and improve physical fitness and mental alertness. Health knowledge and skills are as significant to economic competitiveness and education reform as the knowledge and skills taught in any other subject in the schools.