First Aid is taught in state schools. This teaching is carried out through a significant number of fully certified, Red Cross First Aid Instructors. At the Secondary Level there is at least one Health and Safety teacher in every school whose role is to create awareness among the school community on Health and Safety issues.

At the Primary level, learners in Years 1-3 in all Colleges are given Health and Safety Awareness. All students from Year 4 to Form V are given awareness sessions of Health and Safety that include First Aid.  In addition, students at Form V are offered a full first aid certificate course together with the award of a certificate issued by the Red Cross free of charge.  This certificate course covers three areas namely: First Aid, Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Basic Fire Safety.

The recently published National Curriculum Framework includes Health Education as one of the Learning Areas which equip learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to live a full and healthy life.  

■ Raymond J. Camilleri

Curriculum Management

and eLearning

Department

Editor’s note: That is genuinely good news, however, what we called for was compulsory First Aid courses in all schools. Though, it seems that the direction taken by the state is a good one.