Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 9, 2020 (ZIZ News): Coaches from the Department of Sports and others that work within the primary school system are learning more about the new curriculum guiding health and wellness education.
Health and Wellness Coordinator in the Ministry of Education, Michelle Sutton, is sharing the information with about 30 coaches attending a two-day workshop at the Media Centre at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium. The workshop which began on Tuesday September 8, 2020 is organised by the Ministry of Sports.
The new curriculum was developed by the Ministry of Education and is a core component of the Education Sector Plan 2017-2021. The component, called Physical and Health Education, emphasises children developing and leading healthy lifestyles.
Sutton said it was designed to cover the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, but is being piloted at the primary level.
This is expected to result in reduced cases of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle ailments as children transition into adolescence and adulthood.
Communicable diseases are also covered in the new curriculum. Ms. Sutton said that there is a section which covers measures to protect against the flu. This section has been modified to cover COVID-19 as it has similar symptoms as the common cold.
A similar workshop for coaches on the new Physical and Health Education curriculum will be held in Nevis.