06/08/2026
Foundation of Healthcare Technologies Society, University of Memphis School of Public Health, and Zila Parishad, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, under a joint collaborative initiative, are bringing the Model of Public Health Education to High Schools by using the Public Health in Action curriculum and establishing public health clubs across 50 high schools in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. This first-of-its-kind initiative is engaging more than 1,500 students in public health in 12 blocks of Kolhapur.
The initiative furthers the goals of the National Education Policy 2020 and reflects how public health in action can support the Maharashtra state government's 'My Village Healthy Village' initiative, working to address adolescent health challenges such as unhealthy eating, environmental pollution, physical inactivity, emotional well-being, mental health, and social media and mobile addiction.
As part of this initiative, students didn't just attend the first curriculum session they reported on it. In a wonderful display of initiative, students produced their own news bulletin, "Gurukul Saptahik Batmipatra," ( Weekly news bulletin) covering the launch of the "Introduction to Public Health" module in their school, with student reporter Daksh Pawar anchoring the segment.
It's a small but powerful glimpse of what this programme hopes to build young people who don't just learn about public health, but actively engage with and communicate it in their own voice.
