Coordination among the government and NGOs is a must for effective implementation of the health programme, they said.

Under the programme, the schoolchildren are provided with water and sanitation facilities and hygiene education.

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry and Save the children-USA organised the workshop on 'School Health and Nutrition (SHN)' at the Brac Centre Inn at Mohakhali in the city.

The SHN programme has been proved a cost-effective way to promote education, health and nutrition services for the schoolchildren, said AFM Sarwar Kamal, secretary of the health ministry.

He assured that all the primary schools across the country would be brought under the SHN programme.

Edward Olney, country representative of Save the Children-USA, said educating a child about health and providing them with an enabling environment is the foundation of a healthy society.

Dr Nizam Uddin Ahmed, director of Health and Nutrition Programme (HNP), delivered a keynote speech on HNP activities in Nasirnagar upazila, Brahmanbaria.

He said the HNP activities started in 2002 with health and nutrition service in 63 schools in the upazila, aiming to improve the health of schoolchildren.

At the same time, they have started providing health and sanitation facilities at community level in 72 villages, he added.

Dr Dipa Sen, project officer of School Sanitation and Hygiene Education Programme, Unicef, and Dr Golam Hossain, deputy programme manager of School Health Programme, presented papers at the workshop.

Shahina Akhter, programme officer of World Food Programme, also presented a paper on the School Feeding Programme (SFP).

Dr Dilu Ara Begum, additional director general of the directorate of health services, Fazlur Rahman, director general of the directorate of family planning, George John Komba Kono, medical officer of WHO, Dhaka office, and Kayode Oyegbite, chief, health and nutrition, Unicef, Dhaka office, also spoke.