JBAR WIFS Program Operational Guidelines for School-based Intervention. Operational Guidelines for Weekly IFA Supplementation Programme for School-Based Adolescents. Guidelines for Teachers, Block Education Officers/MEO and District Education Officers
JBAR WIFS Program Operational Guidelines FOR TEACHER:
Goal:
1. To institute a school-based weekly IFA supplementation (WIFS) programme for control of anaemia in adolescent boys and girls attending classes 6 to 12th of government/government-aided/ municipal schools.
Objectives:
1. Ensure that all adolescent boys and girls in 6 to 12th standards of government/government-aided/ municipal schools are given a tablet of IFA once a week and Albendazole twice a year for de-worming.
2. To inform adolescent boys and girls of the correct dietary practices for increasing iron intake.
3. To inform adolescents of the significance of preventing worm infestation and encourage the adoption of correct hygiene practices, including the use of footwear to prevent worm infestation.
Strategy:
1.Administration of weekly iron-folic acid supplements (WIFS). (IFA tablet containing 100mg elemental iron and 500ug Folic acid) for 52 weeks in a year, on a fixed day preferably Monday.
2.Screening of target groups for moderate/severe anaemia and referring these cases to an appropriate health facility.
3.Biannual Albendazole (400mg), six months apart, for control of worm infestation.
4.Information and counselling for improving dietary intake and for taking actions for the prevention of intestinal worm infestation.
GUIDELINES FOR THE SCHOOL TEACHER:
- Distribution of IFA through the platform of School: role of the Nodal Teacher
- School children from 6th to 12th standard, in rural and urban regions will be reached through this program.
- Each school will designate two teachers as the WIFS nodal teachers.
- Nodal teachers will ensure supervised ingestion of IFA tablets by adolescents enrolled in classes 6th to 12th on a fixed day preferably Monday at a fixed time after Mid-Day Meal (where applicable)/lunch. Teachers will also be encouraged to consume IFA. The first dose of deworming tablet i.e., 400 mg of Albendazole should ideally be administered in the month of August and the second dose should be given by February (six months after the first dose).
- If the child is absent on a Monday or misses out on the consumption of the IFA tablet, subsequent follow-up during the week needs to be done to ensure that the tablet is consumed.
- The programme could be initiated preferably in the month of April after the beginning of the new session in all schools.
- Teachers will screen adolescents for the presence of moderate/severe anaemia by assessing nail bed and tongue pallor and refer anaemic adolescents to appropriate health facility for management of anaemia.
- Separate time should also be allotted during the school year to provide Nutrition and Health Education (NHE) to the adolescents. The nodal teacher should conduct monthly NHE session(s). Parents should also be oriented on WIFS and NHE during Parent Teacher Association Meetings.
- Before the school closes for vacations, the children can be given the requisite number of IFA tablets for consumption during the holidays under parental supervision.
- Annual supplies of IFA and Albendazole tablets should be stored in a clean, dry and dust-free area away from the direct sunlight.
- The nodal teacher (s) for each school will estimate annual requirements for IFA and Albendazole tablets.
- Monitoring
- Individual – Individual Compliance Card (ICC) or a self-monitoring card with a simple design will be used (Annexure 1). The nodal teacher will be responsible for overseeing that the compliance card is filled correctly
- Class – The class teacher will use the monitoring register at school/class level as per (Annexure 2). Information will be entered each week in this register. At the end of the month, the class teacher will need to compile the information on the number of girls and boys who have taken 4 IFA tablets per month (5 tablets in case of 5 weeks in a month).. Similar exercise would also need to be carried out for Albendazole tablets. In case of girls and boys who are not able to consume 4 /5 IFA tablets in a month the reason for non-compliance is to be mentioned in the remarks column of the format and will be compiled in a school report.
- School – The nodal teachers would consolidate all the information from the class reporting formats on the monthly school-reporting format(Annexure- 3) and submit it to the school principal. The school principal will review the information in the monthly school reporting format, countersign it and submit it to the block level officials on a monthly basis. A copy of this monthly school report will also be sent to the ANM.
- In every school, a school WIFS committee is to be formed headed by the Principal /Head Master with the participation of the Nodal teachers, Student representatives and ANM for regular monitoring and management of the programme. The committee will be headed by the school principal and co-chaired by the nodal teacher and will be responsible for monitoring the following:
- Compliance in consumption of the tablets.
- Regular IEC and Nutrition and Health Education session.
- Record keeping at the class level.
- Transfer of correct information from recording registers to the reporting format.
- Timeliness of the submission of monthly reports.
- Ensuring timely IFA and Albendazole distribution.
- Proper storage of IFA and Albendazole tablets.
Guidelines for Block Education Officer/MEO:
Roles & Responsibilities:
1. Consolidate requirements from schools for block supply and share with district level.
2.Set up a distribution system for schools and ensure uninterrupted supply of IFA and deworming tablets.
3. Ensure proper storage of IFA and de-worming tablets in schools.
4. Consolidate monitoring data received from schools and share with the district on a monthly basis.
5. Conduct quarterly meeting to review the programme.
6. Ensure display of IEC material in schools.
Monitoring:
1. The designated block official i.e., Block education officer will review the monthly report from each school and consolidate the reports for all schools in the block and submit it to the District education officer as per Annexure
2. The block education officer will inform the District Education officer about the annual requirement of WIFS and Albendazole tablets.
Guidelines for District Education Officer:
Roles & responsibilities: have to be modified in line with the final OF:
Stock request process: The supply request for the district will b submitted by the District Education Officer (DEO) to the District Health Officer (to the officer designated in charge of school health programme) The District Health Department will send the request to State HFW department who will supply the IFA and Albendazole tablets per district requirement.
The District Health Officer will coordinate and forward supplies to the District Education Officer.
1.DEO will help ensure uninterrupted supply of IFA and de-worming tablets at the block level ( schools and AWC).
2.DEO will ensure monitoring of the programme along with monthly data collection from the block level.
3. Consolidate monitoring data received from the block by the end of every month and share with the District Health Department.
4.DEO will help ensure completion of training/orientation sessions of block officers, teachers, DEO will ensure display of IEC material in the school.
Monitoring:
The District Education Officer would need to consolidate all the block level reports and prepare a district level report (Annexure 5) which will be submitted to the District Health Department with a copy to the State Education Department.
District WIFS Advisory Committee
At the district level, the District WIFS Advisory Committee will be formed with participation from Health, Education and Women and Child Development Departments.
The function of the committee will be to monitor the progress of the programme and resolve programmatic issues. The Committee would need to meet every quarter with the participation of Health, Women and Child Development and Education Block officials.
Yearly meeting with nodal teachers could be organized to further streamline the implementation of the programme . Committee would monitor the following:
1.Status of implementation of the programme and timeliness of the submission of monthly reports.
2. Facilitate convergence and ensure the use of community-based platforms like VHNDs for community mobilization and awareness.
3.Training.
4.Timely and adequate supply and distribution of IFA and Albendazole tablets.
5.Provision and usage of IEC materialsWIFS monitoring committee.