Programme Director, Dr. Whittle
Western Cape MEC for Health Dr. Mbombo
City of Cape Town Executive Mayor Ms. Patricia de Lille
Other Members of the Executive Council for Education
DBE Director General: Mr. Mweli Mathanzima
Heads of Provincial Education Departments
Country Representative of UNICEF Mr. Delys
Marketing Director of Johnson and Johnson Mr. Kosmatos
Country Representative of the World Health Organisation Dr. Barber
National and Provincial Officials of the Departments of Water and Sanitation, Health, and Social Development
Development Partners
Private Sector Partners
Chairperson of the School Governing Body Ms. Magadlela
School Governing Body Associations
Principal of Zimasa Primary School Mr. Mguqulwa
Organised Labour
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Morning!
Molweni!
Goeie môre!
Programme Director; it gives me pleasure to speak at the auspicious occasion, the launch of the National School Deworming Programme. We certainly believe that the health of our children is intrinsically linked to the improved learner outcomes. In fact, as Mahatma Gandhi once put it succinctly:
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
In this regard, the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) approved the Integrated School Health Programme. We conceptualised this as a joint initiative with Departments Health and Social Development. The Integrated School Health Programme is in line with our international obligations as we are signatories to the World Health Assembly Resolution 54.19 (May 2001), which calls for regular, synchronised treatment of worms in high-risk groups. Deworming learners is in synch with the new United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGBs), such as achieving universal primary education; and reducing child mortality, to name but two.
The aim of the Programme is to improve children’s health, reduce health barriers to learning and assist learners to stay in school and perform to the best of their abilities. The Programme further intends to promote attitudes and behaviours that will positively impact the current and future health status of learners.
Overall the programme is designed to improve both the education performance and the health and well-being of our children. It seeks to address a range of health and social challenges that are faced by young people especially related to sexual and reproductive health.
This holistic response appraises, protects, and improves the health of learners, with the goal of reducing absenteeism and increasing academic achievement and ultimately the quality of basic education.
Programme Director; during my 2014/15 Budget Vote Policy Speech I announced our intention to investigate the feasibility of implementing a National Deworming Programme in primary schools, linked to the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). Since then, various teams have been hard at work to ensure that we can introduce the programme today. I will extend our gratitude later in my address.
As part of the implementation of the Integrated School Health Programme, we have adopted a three-pronged approach (in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, (WHO). These include:
- Health education including the type of worms, how transmission is taking place, prevention of worms and hand washing integrated into the workbooks;
- Regular deworming of children in schools; and
- Provision of adequate sanitation, safe water and the maintenance thereof to be provided to schools.
The National School Deworming Programme is a flagship part of the Integrated School Health Programme.
Programme Director; I am pleased to announce that this programme has a universal coverage among the targeted cohort. The target is to reach all Grade R-7 learners in quintile 1-3 primary schools. As we know, all these schools are part of our much vaunted pro-poor programme, the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The master plan of the National School Deworming Programme indicates that we will reach universal coverage of just over 6 million learners.
Programme Director; allow me to explain the rationale of this national deworming programme. It is universally accepted that within the education sector, deworming of young children will promote learner wellbeing and retention, resulting in the achievement of educational and health outcomes.
There is ample scientific evidence that school deworming is beneficial and cost-effective. Some of these as presented by medical scientists are as follows:
Deworming contributes to Education for All
Studies in low-income countries of Africa, South America and Asia confirm that children with intense worm infections perform poorly in learning ability tests, cognitive function and educational achievement. Differences in test performance equivalent to a six- month delay in development can typically be attributed to heavier infections of the sort experienced by around 60 million school age children.
Absenteeism is more frequent among infected than uninfected children: the heavier the intensity of infection, the greater the absenteeism, to the extent that some infected children attend school half as much as their uninfected peers.
Deworming can benefit children's learning, substantially increase primary school attendance and significantly increase a child's ability to learn in school.
Deworming is an exceptionally low cost intervention. Operational research in Ghana and Tanzania has demonstrated that for the first five years of intervention, the average yearly cost of delivered treatment – taking into account current drug prices – is typically less than US $0.50 per child in an area where both schistosomiasis and the common intestinal worms are present, and less than US $0.25 per child in an area where only the latter are present. This is the total cost which includes training of teachers, as well as the procurement and distribution of drugs to students.
Deworming gives a high return to education and labour income
A randomised evaluation of school-based mass deworming for schistosomiasis and intestinal worms in Kenya found that absenteeism was reduced by one-quarter.
Deworming was the most cost-effective method of improving school participation among a series of educational interventions. An extra year of primary schooling was gained for an investment of US $4 in deworming, as compared to other expensive interventions.
Deworming has major externalities for untreated children and the whole community
By reducing the transmission of infection in the community as a whole, deworming substantially improves health and school participation for both treated and untreated children, in treatment schools and in neighbouring schools. As a result, treating only school age children can reduce the total burden of disease due to intestinal worm infections by 70% in the community as a whole.
These externalities are large enough to justify fully subsidising treatment. They also explain why deworming is beneficial even without improvements in sanitation.
Deworming targets one of the most common, long-term infections of children in low-income countries
For girls and boys aged five to 14 years in low-income countries, intestinal worms account for an estimated 11 and 12 percent, respectively, of the total disease burden, and represent the single largest contributor to the disease burden of this group. An estimated 20 percent of disability adjusted life years lost because of communicable disease among school children is a direct result of intestinal worms.
Programme Director; it was this overwhelming scientific evidence that resulted in the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending deworming not only as a cost-effective, but as pro-poor intervention.
According to the Schools and Health Organisation, an international think tank on matters of school health - School-based deworming has its full impact when delivered within an integrated school health programme that includes the following key elements of the FRESH (Focus Resources on Effective School Health) framework:
- Health policies in schools that advocate the role of teachers in health promotion and delivery;
- Adequate sanitation and access to safe water to reduce worm transmission in the school environment;
- Skills-based health education that promotes good hygiene to avoid worm infection;
- Basic health and nutrition services that include regular deworming.
It is within this context that our own National School Deworming will be administered in schools by teachers under the supervision of a qualified health professional. In preparation for this mammoth task, and after the advice and guidance obtained from the experts, we have developed materials for educators, learners and parents on deworming.
These booklets have been distributed far and wide. I must assure all parents and guardians that the deworming medication is safe and its administration simple: one tablet once or twice a year. There has been rare post marketing side effects.
In conclusion, we are indebted to many local and international partners for the success of the programme.
In this regard, we acknowledge the generous funding from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the layout, design and distribution of advocacy material on deworming.
We are also humbled by the support from the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), a London-based non-profit organisation – they mobilised funding for this programme. I am happy to report that Partnership for Child Development secured the donation of 7 million Mebendazole 500 mg tablets for this programme from Johnson and Johnson, through the World Health Organisation (WHO). Importantly, they have committed to provide this support for the next five years.
We also benefited immensely from the experts at the Medical Research Council, Medicines Control Council (MCC), and Right to Care.
We are also indebted to Evidence Action & J-PAL Africa, at the University of Cape Town and the generosity of Janssen in Portugal, and Reckitt Benckiser.
Programme Director; allow me to also extend great thanks to our own Dr. Whittle for his wisdom and leadership in this programme since its inception.
We had excellent collaboration with the Local Departments of Water and Sanitation, Health, Social Development, and Kenyan Education Department, as well as academics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Last but not least, the National Treasury for approving without undue delay the necessary changes to the budget structure of the National School Nutrition Programme conditional grant to include deworming component after a submission from the Department of Basic Education.
I must say the programme proves beyond any reasonable doubt that indeed education is a societal issue. The programme has support from the Council of Education Ministers (CEM), South African Principals Association (SAPA), Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM) and School Governing Body Associations just to name a few.
Our gratitude further extends to all individuals and organisations that have participated in the design, consultation, fundraising and actual implementation of this programme. Indeed, Together, we Move South Africa Forward!!!
In conclusion, I leave you with the wise words of the American evangelical Christian evangelist, Billy Graham who once said:
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost...”
Finally, I call on our parents and care-givers to please allow their children to participate in this national programme. The National School Deworming Programme is a voluntary exercise aimed at improving the well-being of our learners. I urge all parents and guardians to please sign the consent form and return it to the school.
Let’s us all adopt healthy behavioural attitude in our homes and classrooms across the country. It starts with a habit of handwashing with clean water and soap after every activity especially before handling food or after visiting the bathroom.
I thank you!
