Punjab expands student health profiling; surveys flag vision, hearing and mobility issues
“Punjab’s education department is expanding health profiling in schools to identify student needs and improve academic outcomes.”
Key points
- Punjab’s education department is expanding health profiling in schools to identify student needs and improve academic outcomes.
- Early surveys flagged widespread minor issues and highlighted vision, hearing and mobility challenges among thousands of students.
The Punjab School Education Department is continuing a province-wide initiative to create health profiles for students, aiming to improve wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Preliminary surveys cited in the report indicate that around 258,000 students have minor health issues, 37,000 have moderate problems, and 8,500 face severe health difficulties.
Vision-related concerns were reported among tens of thousands of students across mild, moderate and severe categories. The surveys also identified hearing issues and mobility challenges, such as difficulty walking or climbing stairs, affecting students at varying levels of severity.
Officials said the programme is intended to help schools plan targeted support, including special facilities and a more comprehensive learning strategy for students with additional needs.
The department also noted that schools are distributing free milk and biscuits as part of efforts to improve children’s health, and said individual care plans and medical support would be provided after profiles are completed.
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