B’pora: In a significant step towards nurturing a healthier future generation, the Department of Youth Services and Sports, with the full support of the Education Department, organized a series of Health and Wellness Programmes across schools of Bandipora. The awareness drives, coordinated by noted physical education researcher and mentor Dr. Aftab Jan, aimed to sensitize students about the importance of physical fitness, mental health, and overall well-being in today’s challenging times.
Addressing students during the programme, Dr. Aftab cautioned that the younger generation is increasingly becoming victims of sedentary lifestyles, excessive technology use, and mounting stress. “If we lose health, we lose the very foundation of education and success. A strong mind can only exist in a healthy body, and our students must understand that health is not an option but a responsibility,” he stressed, urging schools to treat wellness education as a priority rather than an accessory.
The sessions highlighted vital themes such as balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management, mental wellness, and the dangers of digital addiction. Students were encouraged to adopt small but consistent lifestyle changes to ensure long-term fitness, resilience, and productivity.
Principals and staff members across participating institutions hailed the initiative, emphasizing the need to make such awareness programmes a regular part of the academic calendar. “In today’s era, when children face constant distractions, peer pressure, and health risks, these sessions are essential to help them remain focused on the basics of healthy living,” one of the school heads noted. With the strong backing of the Education Department, the programme has set a positive example of inter-departmental collaboration to address the silent health crisis among youth. It reinforced the idea that schools are not just centers of academic instruction, but also guardians of students’ physical, emotional, and moral well-being.The collective message resonating across Bandipora’s institutions was clear: health and wellness are not luxuries but necessities, and nurturing them from the school stage is the key to building a strong, balanced, and responsible society.
