Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and Nutrition International launched five public service announcements (PSAs) on adolescent nutrition in the form of Bangla audio-visuals, to be broadcast across various mass media including national television channels.
DSHE Director General Prof Nehal Ahmed officially launched the PSAs through an event in Dhaka, said a press release on Friday.
Nutrition International, as part of its adolescent women's health and nutrition intervention supported by the Government of Canada, has been working with the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) since 2019 on the school-based nutrition project.
In the succession of the project, to promote the importance of good nutrition and instil healthy habits among the youth of Bangladesh, DSHE and Nutrition International launched the PSAs, the release added.
Delivering his speech as the chief guest of the launching event, Prof Nehal Ahmed said, “Adolescent nutrition is a high priority issue from the Government of Bangladesh. Ensuring nutrition and healthy habit of the adolescents is one of our main responsibilities.”
“Nutrition International has developed 5 PSAs, we hope that the PSAs will not only benefit our students and their parents but also will create greater awareness among ourselves. We will be able to fulfil our Prime Minister’s commitment to building prosperous Sonar Bangla,” he added.
“Right nutrition at the right time builds the capacity to dream, it fuels the power to achieve, and it lays the foundation upon which to build a better world,” said Nutrition International’s Country Director in Bangladesh Saiqa Siraj.
“Through the public service announcements which will be broadcasted nationally, we hope that the messages of good nutrition will be received by the large adolescent population of our country,” she added.
DSHE Director (Training) Professor Dr Prabir Kumar Bhattacharjee chaired the event, while Institute of Public Health and Nutrition Line Director-National Nutrition Services Dr SM Mustafizur Rahman, DSHE Director (Secondary) Professor Mohammod Belal Hossain, and DSHE Director (College and Admin) Professor Shahedul Khabir Chowdhury were present as special guests.
Nutrition International, a global nutrition organisation headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, has been supporting the DSHE in implementing the school-based adolescent nutrition program across ten districts in eight divisions of the country including Chandpur, Jaipurhat, Nilphamari, Kishoreganj, Habiganj, Mymensingh, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Lakshmipur and Sherpur.
