DILI, 21 november 2023 (TATOLI) – WHO Timor-Leste handed over 640 weight and height scales to the Ministry of Education.
The scales will be distributed to schools across Timor-Leste to help monitor the growth and health of children.
WHO representative in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur, said that schools are an ideal place to promote healthy behaviors and practices for students, therefore, WHO supports the scales to measure the students’ height and weight.
“With these tools, we can ensure that children will get the necessary nutritional support, such as food supplements, which will contribute to a healthier and brighter future,” said Arvind Mathur during the handover ceremony at the Ministry of Education office, in Vila Verde, Dili, on tuesday.
He said that these scales can help monitor and measure key indicators in order to know a child’s height or weight and assess other relevant progress.
“Education and health are interrelated, when health is poor, the outcome of education is poor and when education is poor, the opportunity to live a healthy life is limited,” said Mathur.
At the same place, the Secretary of State for Secondary Education and Technical Schools, Domingos Lopes Lemos, thanked the WHO for its support: “These 640 weight and height scales will help schools to pay close attention to children’s health.”
Lemos said that these tools will be used to measure students’ height and weight which is important to tracking children’s growth.
The Ministry of Education will soon distribute the 640 weight and height scales to schools across the country.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
