Tarang Health Alliance, SKUAST-K Innovation Centre join hands to strengthen human development

Srinagar, Feb 1: Emphasising the need to integrate health education with formal schooling to strengthen human development in Jammu and Kashmir, Tarang Health Alliance and the SKUAST-K Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre have joined hands to promote structured school-based health education in the region.

Speaking during a webinar organised by Tarang Health Alliance in collaboration with Fijeeha and ACTION (Alliance for Change, Transformation & Innovation), Dr Rahul Mehra, India’s National Representative for the UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education and Executive Chairman of Tarang Health Alliance, stressed that education and health must move together to unlock long-term human potential.

“Education cannot deliver its full promise if children come to classrooms carrying the burden of poor health from early childhood,” Dr Mehra said. “Health education in schools lays the foundation for better learning outcomes, stronger resilience and more productive lives.”

Highlighting regional health challenges, Dr Mehra noted that nearly two-thirds of women aged 15–49 years in Jammu and Kashmir are anaemic, a condition that significantly impacts maternal and child health. Maternal anaemia often leads to malnutrition and stunting among children, with nearly 25–30 per cent of children under five affected. These early health disadvantages, he said, are closely linked to impaired cognitive development, poor academic performance and reduced lifetime earnings.