Integration of Health Education in the Economics Curriculum

Abstract

A healthy habit is an important input in the holistic growth of the children. It is determined by various factors like biological, social and economic. At the same time, it has an important impact on the enrolment and retention of any student in the school. An unwell child often tends to miss her class which later makes the lesson difficult for her to understand. Good health helps in generating skilled workforce for an economy, enhances employment opportunity for an individual and ensures prosperity of the nation.

 National curriculum Framework (NCF 2005) recommends physical education and yoga for the physical, social, emotional and mental development of the child.  The paper studies the relevance of integrating health education in the economics curriculum. The relationship between the two domains can be analyzed through causal pathways that underlie healthy life and prosperous nations. 

India is presently facing the health challenge with respect to children belonging to pre-primary stage to higher secondary stage. The government has taken several initiatives like provision of mid-day meal programme, compulsory organization of sports in the school and so on. The study will look into the textbooks of upper primary, secondary and higher secondary stage and analyze the effort made to address this issues for young learners. The paper has been divided into three section. The first section outlines the importance of good health for school children. The second part includes the views of prominent economist and describes the relevance of health education in the various policy documents. Last section discusses and analyses the integration of health education in the economics textbooks.