KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Education and Youth will be hosting the inaugural ‘Jamaica Moves In School’ Virtual Tour to spread knowledge about the importance of physical activity and the correlation with well-being.

The initiative, which targets infant, primary and secondary schools, is intended to encourage and highlight healthy lifestyles as an important aspect of wellness. 

It is being staged in collaboration with the Association of Principals and Vice Principals, and the Jamaica Association of Principals of Infant and Primary Schools.

The tour will commence on Friday, January 28 at 3:00 pm at The Queen’s School in Kingston. The event will be live-streamed on the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ social media platforms, YouTube and Facebook and Zoom meeting.

It will feature exercise sessions, led by professional fitness instructors, to encourage students as well as faculty members to engage in physical activity.

The duration of the event is 60 minutes of low-impact instructional cardio workout, a question-and-answer segment and physical activity tips throughout. It will also feature online competitions and evaluation at the end of the event.

The ministry said the tour will continue on April 29. It coincides with the National School Moves Day, which is a day that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education have designated to highlight the importance of physical activity and to engage schools across the island in physical activity.

The final leg of the tour is scheduled for May 27. In addition to physical activity, this segment will promote the healthy-eating component of the ‘Jamaica Moves In School’ Programme.

Senior Health Education Officer with responsibility for Healthy Lifestyles in Schools in the Ministry, Julia Manderson-Steele, said with the increased use of online learning, students and teachers have unwittingly adopted more sedentary behaviours.

Due to the new learning environment, students now sit for long hours on their devices to access online teaching and learning. During this time they are also engaged in unhealthy snacking.

“We recognise that since the pandemic, several of our students and teachers alike have been using the online space. What this may have done is to cause persons not to be as active as they used to be. The whole point of the virtual school tour is for the school community to really take the opportunity to be engaged in physical activity and for them to learn about healthy eating,” Manderson-Steele explained.

She said the Jamaica Moves in Schools Programme continues to be necessary, particularly where the severity of the impact of COVID-19 has been linked to comorbidities, which have primarily been non-communicable diseases.

She added that the tour is intended to engage the school community to reinvigorate and strengthen the Jamaica Moves in Schools Programme.