Student teams to hold nutrition survey among classmates

To ensure better understanding about nutrition deficiency among Chennai Corporation school students, the civic body and ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) have initiated steps to form school-level student teams.

According to a Chennai Corporation official, the Central government’s Poshan Abhiyaan Scheme mandates the survey among children to ascertain the level of nutrition deficiency and prepare an action plan based on the survey. “Recently, zonal level coordination committees were formed with the participation of officials from 13 departments,” the official said.

When asked about the student teams, he added, “It would take more time if the officials conduct the survey among the students. Also, the students will feel free to explain their conditions to their friends and classmates.”

According to the plan, the student teams would be formed in as many as 284 Chennai Corporation schools. It is learnt that the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to conduct training classes for head masters and teachers of Corporation schools to apprise them about the nuances of nutrition deficiency and selecting students for the teams. “After the training session, the head masters would form teams comprising four to eight students,” the official added.

Once the teams are formed, the team members would gather information by asking questions about their friends’ diet and body conditions before submitting the collected answer to their teachers. The teachers would draft a report on each student based on the details collected by the teams.

“Based on the reports submitted by schools, the officials will take necessary actions to provide nutrition to the students,” the official said.

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In another initiative under Poshan Abhiyaan, the ICDS would issue smartphones worth Rs 10,000 each to the in-charge of Anganwadis. “The smartphones will have an exclusive application in which the nutrition level of the students can be determined. When an anganwadi in-charge keys in the age, height and weight of the students, the application will tell whether the children are malnutritioned or not. If a child is malnutritioned, the application will also suggest the correct diet plan and medicine for the child,” an official said.