The Society for Family Health, in partnership with Taraba State Ministry of Education, on Monday, said it will train 1,111 teachers on Education for health and wellbeing of students in the state.

Aisha Dadi, the SFH Programme Director, disclosed the development during the advocacy and sensitisation meeting on Education for Health and Wellbeing (EHW), organised by the Society for Family Health in Jalingo.

She explained that the idea funded by UNESCO, was to enhance the well-being of students in Primary and secondary schools, considering the growing population of adolescents and youth in West Central Africa, as well as the WCA’s commitment to promoting education, healthy, and resilient adolescents among young people across 25 countries of the region.

“Considering the growing population of adolescents and youth in the West and Central Africa, commitment has been made to education, healthy and thriving adolescents among young people.

The aim is to promote education, healthy, and resilient adolescents among young people across 25 countries of the region.

“To achieve this target, challenges like School completion rate, New HIV infection, and knowledge of HIV, Risk associated with the use of the internet, social norms, gender-based violence, urgent needs for family planning, menstrual hygiene, early and unintended pregnancies, Drug abuse amongst many others needs to be overcome.

“SFH will support the Taraba State Ministry of Education to implement the project in selected schools across three local government areas of Jalingo, Gassol, and Wukari. We want to appeal that the state Ministry of Education should collaborate with other stakeholders with support from the office of the First Lady to scale up the training in the remaining LGAs with strong supervision of the quality assurance directorate of the ministry.

“The role of parents, religious and traditional leaders to provide all the enabling environment for the success of the project in their various localities is mostly required”. The project director explained.

Earlier in her welcome address, Dr Augustina Godwin, Taraba state Commissioner for education while commending SFH and UNESCO for the program, explained that the meeting was to intensify the implementation of the Policy, “Education for Health and Wellbeing” Family Life and HIV Education in Taraba.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of education, Alhaji Idris Goje, the commissioner noted that the project was in line with Governor Agbu Kefas’ Free and Compulsory Education Policy in Taraba, and urged stakeholders to support the project to succeed, since it was targeted at attracting huge employment opportunities for the citizens.