A country that is able to fix its education and health system succeeds better in all other parameters. The Principal Secretary Health, Government of Meghalaya in his recent interview has spelt out a series of interventions which could reduce maternal and infant mortality. However, as far as teenage pregnancy is concerned it is not just a public health issue but a social dilemma which can be addressed by education. A young girl who can be retained in school at least up to Class 10 is more likely to proceed to Class 12 and undergraduate school. Girls who fall between the cracks and drop out at Classes 5-8 are the ones most vulnerable to teenage pregnancies which because of lack of spacing finds a girl becoming a mother or 3-4 children even before reaching the age of 20. In such cases the health of both the mother and children are compromised.
There is ample empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed side by side to ensure that school education also deals with adolescent health and wellness. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health – an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income and higher-income groups are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education need to collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits.
Education is both a process and a product. From a societal perspective, the process of education imbues children not only with knowledge but reasoning skills, values, socio-emotional awareness, control and social interaction, so they can grow as engaged, productive, creative, and self-governing members of a society. From what is evidenced in Meghalaya education institutions fall short of these goals, and too many students fail their grades, are socially dysfunctional and sadly suffer lifelong disadvantages. Education – the product and personal attribute acquired – is both a critical component of a person’s health and a contributing cause of other elements of the person’s current and future health. There is enough evidence to prove that a person who lacks the basic elements of education is not fully healthy. It is therefore time to push in health education not just as a subject but a practical application in day to day living. Health education comprises sex education too but the pedagogy adopted is marked by diffidence instead of straight talking. It’s time children learn to name their body parts without any shame because it is the secretive nature of our sexual discourses which leaves the young ignorant and therefore vulnerable. Managing emotions is also a skill since sex among young people is purely an emotional impulse with long term consequences.
