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Eswatini's School Health Programme was launched in 1976, by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, it recognizes that learners are a critical and substantial part of the nation's future. The programme underscores the importance of delivering essential primary healthcare services across schools. The programme supports both individual well-being and strengthens communities. The Government of Eswatini has pledged to “put children first” and as such is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and embraces the special recognition of children in the Bill of Rights espoused in the Swaziland National Constitution of 2005. These necessitated concerted efforts geared towards improving and expanding the Primary Health Care system. The core mandate of the school health program is to deliver Primary Health Care services to school communities and focuses on various aspects of health, including physical, mental, and emotional well-being as well as environmental health. Its activities are aligned to the National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP).

The School Health Programme made efforts to develop a school health programme policy. The first attempt was in 1999 and the second one was in 2014.The purpose of the second effort was to update the1999 policy. However, both efforts were unsuccessful, the former policy was; disapproved because it only focused on HIV prevention and control, whereas school health should be broader and requires a comprehensive and holistic approach. Updating of the policy in 2014 was stalled due to lack of resources. Furthermore, in 2018 the School Health Program developed school health guidelines, which were meant to
guide the implementation of the 2014 School Health programme policy, however, their development was not completed. This was due to numerous challenges encountered by the School Health Programme, some of which have been derived from the programmes Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis report and are highlighted below. These challenges have resulted in the Schools Health Programme’s inability to fully realize its mandate. Furthermore, the collaboration with the Ministry of Education has not been reviewed, revised, reaffirmed or redefined in response to the evolving health and education needs. Thus, there is need to rethink and reposition the programme in line with national health landscape and national education and development agenda. Development of a collaborative Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health, coherent school health programme policy is an imperative. Thus, the Ministry of Education has requested UNESCO’s support to commission a consultant, to facilitate the development of a Comprehensive Integrated School Health Policy.

Positive health enables children to live fulfilling lives. Promoting the health and well-being of children is a shared responsibility. Schools are in a unique position to promote health and wellbeing and to identify children experiencing ill health. The responsibility for health and well-being also rests with the wider school community. Collaboration and partnerships between different sectors and agencies are therefore essential. The school environment is not only a place of learning, it also provides opportunities to develop healthy behaviors, friendships and social networks, and access to support structures, all of which have a significant influence on the development of young people. The promotion of health and well-being using integrated and holistic approaches is essential to the cognitive, emotional, social and academic development of young people.
Development of an Integrated School Health Policy will establish a comprehensive framework that not only promotes school health education but also integrates essential health services, supports the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of learners, and foster an environment conducive to developing positive health behaviors and overall well-being. The policy will align with the ESA commitment and the African Union Strategy on education for Health and Well-being (EHW). It will also strengthen implementation of the Care and Support for Teaching and Learning Program; the Learner Pregnancy Prevention and Management Policy; the Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Referral and Linkages Guidelines; the life skills education program which has mainstreamed health education and school violence prevention and response; provision of mental health and psychosocial support; psychological services; guidance and counselling including social services; promotion of physical education and wellbeing; safe water supply, sanitation

and hygiene (WASH) including school environment; food safety and school based nutrition services; waste management, menstrual health and hygiene management; early identification and interventions of children with special needs; disaster management and risk assessment including substance and alcohol use; suicide; school staff health promotion; and community health services. Furthermore, the relationship between health and education cannot be overemphasized. This is because there is a correlation between learners’ health and attainment of education outcomes.

The policy will also bridge the existing School Health Program gaps, which have been revealed from a SWOT analysis of the School Health Program in Eswatini with the weaknesses drawn from the analysis being as follows.

The threats also contribute to the challenges of the School Health Program and some of the weaknesses have also been identified as threats. In addition to them the following are also threats.
-Lack of accessibility to schools due to poor road infrastructure, has been highlighted as a threat.
-Absence of continual professional development.
-Decline in funding from partners.

The consultant will work closely with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and other key stakeholders to accomplish the following tasks, and adhere to the Eswatini Public Policy Coordinating Unit (PPCU) guidelines on policy formulation and implementation:

1. Desk-based review and analysis:
o Conduct a comprehensive desk review which includes but is not limited to: the African Union Education for Health and Well-being Strategy, the ESA commitment, the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA) guidance, the South African and Namibia integrated School Health program documents, Zimbabwe School Health Policy of 2018 and the 2014 Eswatini Draft School Health Policy and the 2018 Eswatini Draft School Health Guidelines to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.
o Analyze the findings from the existing SWOT analysis to understand the challenges faced by the School Health Programme, with particular attention to structural, operational, and resource-related issues.

2. Stakeholder engagement and consultation:
o Conduct comprehensive consultations, through KIIs and/or FGDs, with key stakeholders at the national and regional levels, including government ministries, school health professionals, and relevant community organizations.
o Collect and integrate feedback from stakeholders into the policy development process, ensuring that the revised policy reflects the needs and perspectives of all relevant parties.

3. Policy revision and development:
o Develop an updated, comprehensive, and integrated School Health Programme Policy for Early Childhood Centre’s, Pre-primary, as well as Grade 1 to 12 learners and the unique health issues pertaining to their wide range of ages and conditions.
o Incorporate identified gaps and aligning with current health and educational priorities.
o Integrate emerging issues and trends in school health, including but not limited to mental health, digital health interventions, and responses to pandemics like COVID-19.

4. Development of supporting frameworks:
o Draft a detailed, costed implementation plan that outlines the financial and human resources required to roll out the revised School Health Programme Policy effectively.
o Design a fit-for-purpose M&E framework that will track the policy’s implementation, effectiveness, and impact over time. Ensure the framework includes clear indicators, data collection methods, and reporting mechanisms.

5. Finalization and validation:
o Organize and facilitate a validation workshop with key stakeholders to review and refine the draft policy, costed implementation plan, and M&E framework.
o Finalize the comprehensive School Health Policy, along with the costed implementation plan and M&E framework, and submit these to the Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Senior Management of the Ministries of Health and Education for approval.

-Develop an inception report specifying the technical approach and methodology to be used for the revision and development of the School Health Policy and accompanying documents, ensuring alignment with current needs and international best practices.

-Perform a thorough review of relevant data, policies, and frameworks to inform the policy revision, focusing on key health and education challenges in Eswatini.

-Facilitate consultations with key stakeholders, including ministries, school health professionals, and other partners, to gather input and ensure the policy reflects a wide range of perspectives.
 

-Draft an updated School Health Policy, along with a costed implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation framework; and validate the draft documents through a stakeholders’ meeting, incorporating feedback into the final document.

-Present the Final policy, implementation plan, and M&E framework to the relevant government bodies for approval and implementation.

Phase 1: Consultant engagement and planning (Month 1)

Phase 2: Evidence review and stakeholder engagement (Month 2)

Phase 3: Policy development and validation (Months 3-4)

Phase 4: Finalization and presentation (Month 5)

-20% upon submission of the Inception Report
-30% upon submission of the Review Report
-30% upon submission of the Final Draft of the National Policy on School Health and the corresponding costed Implementation Plan (guidelines) and M&E Framework.
-20% upon approval of the Final Draft.

Consultant will work closely and consultatively with the task team.

The consultant shall meet the following criteria:
-A Master’s degree in public health, Health education or any other relevant field;
-Specific and proven experience in policy, strategy and M&E development applied in the Eswatini context;
-Minimum 5 years’ experience in, and understanding of the field of school health;
-Experience working with Government Ministries, ideally in document development and review;
-Experience in conducting stakeholder consultations and engagements;
-Strong interpersonal, analytical and conceptual skills;
-Excellent written English.
 

The consultant with regards to above listed criteria must be documented with CV, certificates and other relevant information.