Lagos State government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that teachers on its payroll are steadily fit physically, mentally and emotionally so as to perform their roles effectively.
The Chairman of the state’s Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mrs. Victoria Peregrino, gave the assurance, on Wednesday, at this year’s sensitisation workshop on healthy living organised by the commission for the public secondary school teaching and non-teaching staff across the six education districts of the state.
The programme with about 300 participants and held at Ikeja Senior Grammar School Bolade-Oshodi has ‘Health and Wellness’ as its theme.
Addressing participants, Peregrino said the state government believes strongly in teachers and other workers in the education sector for their roles in building future leaders, hence the annual sensitisation programme to keep their consciousness about their healthy lifestyles awake.
According to her, it is only when a teacher is in a complete state of well-being which is beyond the mere absence of disease that he or she can perform optimally and contribute meaningfully to the teaching profession and the education sector in general.
She said the commission is worried that some teachers lost their lives untimely to some preventable and manageable ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and so forth while yet some others are unnecessarily subjected to physical and psychological depression.
She urged participants not to be engaging in self-medication whenever they feel unwell but to always seek help from the right health institutions and personnel.
Pregrino, while commending Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his administration’s commitment to teachers’ welfare in addition to prompt payment of their salaries and regular training programme, promised to sustain the gesture.
She said the impact is beyond the teachers and their students but rubs off also on families, society and the country at large.
In her own remark, the Permanent Secretary of the commission, Mrs Olubusola Abidakun, urged participants to escalate the knowledge gained from the seminar to their colleagues, students and family members.
To this end, participants who were initially tested for blood sugar and blood pressure at the event were tutored by experts on how actually they could remain healthy throughout their lifetimes and the benefits of such.
One of them, who is the Director, Staff Health Services, Lagos Ministry of Health, Dr Abdulrasheed Kolade, told participants to, by all means, avoid the risk factors for depression.
He said though many factors such as genetics, alcohol, hard drug intake and so forth could trigger mental disorders, particularly depression, it is advisable to avoid the avoidable ones.
He therefore asked them should they know anyone who develop any signs or symptoms of depression such as sad mood, loss of interest in pleasurable activities and being easily tired, among others should seek help from experts in time so as not to lead to suicide.
He said it is quite possible for people to live without ailments but only when they observe regular healthy lifestyles that include good eating habits, physical exercise and non-anxious life.
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