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The Delhi government on Thursday launched a new wellbeing initiative, Eat Well Live Well, across 75 CM SHRI Schools, with the programme aimed at reaching around 30,000 children and helping them develop healthy and responsible everyday habits.
The initiative was launched by Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood in the presence of senior government officials, education experts, principals, teachers and students. The programme introduces the concept of Foundational Wellbeing Literacy (FWL), which focuses on equipping children with practical skills and habits required to lead healthier, more responsible and fulfilling lives. Speaking at the launch, Sood said children today have access to a vast amount of information, but the larger challenge was translating that knowledge into everyday behaviour. He said the 75 CM SHRI schools could become torchbearers for the approach and demonstrate how wellbeing could become an integral part of school education. Unlike conventional academic programmes centred on textbooks and examinations, Eat Well Live Well will focus on practical aspects of children's daily lives, including healthy food choices, food safety, hygiene, safe drinking water, physical activity, mealtimes and the overall school environment. The programme will also involve parents to ensure that healthy practices introduced at schools are continued at home. According to the Delhi government, the initiative is structured around 21 personal habits, seven social skills and seven planetary skills. The framework is intended to encourage children to take care of themselves, interact responsibly with others and develop greater awareness of the environment. Education Director Ankita Anand said the initiative was not intended to become another additional programme for schools. Instead, it seeks to bring together existing wellbeing-related efforts and integrate them into the everyday functioning of schools. Under the initiative, schools will establish Wellbeing Committees and use a School Wellbeing Score to assess existing practices, identify areas requiring improvement and track progress. The programme has been developed with support from organisations and institutions, including the Food Future Foundation, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Lady Irwin College and the Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi. The initiative will rely on short discussions, practical activities, visual reminders and repeated practice rather than introducing another textbook or examination. Launched during Poshan Maah and ahead of Teachers' Day, the programme places teachers at the centre of the effort to help students translate information about health and wellbeing into sustainable habits. The Delhi government said the initiative builds on the broader idea that foundational literacy and numeracy prepare children to learn, while Foundational Wellbeing Literacy prepares them to live well. (ANI)
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