Falestii Noi village of Falesti district is one of the 15 communities where community public talks about adolescent health education started this year. The 15 communities are from the districts Orhei, Rezina, Falesti, Cahul and Ungheni. The purpose of the public talks involving parents, teachers, religious leaders, students and representatives of the local authorities is to raise the awareness of the school’s role in the prevention of health risks among adolescents and enhance the demand for the optional subject “Education for Health”, IPN reports, quoting a press release of UNFPA Moldova.
The activity is carried out within the “Promoting Youth Health Education” Project implemented by UNFPA Moldova. In 2018, 22 communities from Orhei, Rezina, Falesti, Cahul and Chisinau were involved in similar activities and, as a result, the young people from these areas are now studying Education for Health in schools.
Ion Jitari, director of the secondary school of Falestii Noi, which is attended by 320 students, said that “Education for Health” is an optional subject that all students need, because, in the absence of one or both parents, the school has a bigger role in educating the young generation. “We want to raise our children in the spirit of a healthy lifestyle”, Ion Jitari stated.
“Education for Health” is taught to students upon request. In the academic year 2018-2019, over 19,000 adolescents applied for this subject, which constitutes only 10% of the total number of adolescents who need this information.
The public discussions in Falestii Noi were attended by Michael Pikuza, a Peace Corps volunteer who said that it is very important for children to learn how to have a healthy lifestyle. “I come from Chicago and I want to tell you that we have this subject starting with the second grade, and our students discuss health at these classes according to their age”.
There are over 330,000 adolescents aged between 10 and 19 in the Republic of Moldova, which is 12% of the country’s population.
