Dubai

Experts say that when it comes to pupils going back to school this year, student well-being should not be overlooked.

The specialists said parents should focus on factors such as health, hygiene, safety and nutrition because they are vital in shaping confidence and so play a major role in pupils’ academic success.

They shared their views during the back-to-school exhibition that was launched by Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education last week, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

According to nutritionist Kaya Peters, having a wholesome meal is one of the key factors in helping children do better in school and avoid behavioural problems.

“Having a wholesome balanced meal helps children be alert, think better, perform better and even avoid behavioural problems that can be caused by having unbalanced food and excessive sugar.”

Peters added that parents should stick to home-made food and avoid any processed and packaged food, especially items that have excessive sugar such as chocolate bars.

Health eating

“It is vital for parents to educate their children about healthy eating and to get them used to it from a young age,” she added.

Sahar Riad, managing partner of The Brain Workshop, emphasised the importance of helping children who face learning difficulties and helping them overcome their problems. She stressed that improving their skills will help them become more confident among their peers as well as perform better at school.

“If a child is not doing well at school or wants to do better the situation can be helped by building and creating cognitive skills that result in higher thinking, active processing and development of the brain’s knowledge bank.”

Research shows that around 80 per cent of learning difficulties among students and adults are the direct result of cognitive skills’ weakness.

“By enhancing cognitive skills it improves confidence and grades, allowing students to be more socially active and much happier,” said Sahar.

The importance of hygiene, such as regular hand-washing, was also emphasised during the exhibition.

Christine Weaver, exhibition and sponsorship manager at Congress Solutions International, the organisers of the back-to-school exhibition, said that social well-being was the focus of this year’s exhibition.

“We want to emphasise student’s communication, health, fitness and social skills.”

Safety was another aspect the exhibition focused on.

Emirates Transport emphasised children had to be cautious around buses.

“As soon as students leave the bus they should take ten steps away from the bus to be in an area that is considered safe, they should go home directly and if they have to cross the road then they should wait until the bus leaves first. This is the golden rule that we are trying to spread among schoolchildren as a road and transport authority,” said Mohammad Abbas, Head of the Safety Unity at Emirates Transport.

Other tips that Abbas gave were to avoid disturbing the driver and avoid walking in front or behind the bus when heading home as they are considered to be the most dangerous spots.

— Elisar Saksouk is an intern at Gulf News