Schools must inspire and influence the young to grow into happy and productive citizens, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister for Education, said on Monday.
Schools should also help to enhance common well-being, harmony and peaceful coexistence, he told a seminar for Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) for 2007-2008 for Junior and Senior High Schools in Accra.
The minister noted that children came to school with a myriad of problems, which interfered with their ability to stay in school or make the maximum use of the opportunity to learn.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said ill-health in school could therefore result in the waste of precious resources and investments in education.
He noted that "Education for All" meant ensuring that all children had access to good quality education in a healthy, protective and conducive physical and psychological environment, for effective response to teaching and learning, to achieve their own potentials and general education goals.
"Poor health and nutrition are important underlying factors for low school enrolment, absenteeism, poor classroom performance and early school dropout as reflected in the world declaration on Education for All."
Mr Tettey-Enyo said children ought to be healthy, well-nourished; live and study in peaceful and acceptable environment to participate and enjoy the maximum benefits from education.
He said the challenges facing school children varied from fighting diseases like malaria, worm infestation, diarrhoea and other non-communicable and infectious diseases affecting their personal health.
Mr Tettey-Eyno said in addition to the age-old health problems resulting from nutritional deficiencies and unhygienic living conditions, the young today were confronted with problems related to negative peer pressure, lifestyle changes, indiscipline, internet fraud, alcohol and sexual harassment in the lyrics of songs and pornography.
"It is our belief that through an effective School Health Programme, schools can play their important role to ensure that the young are equipped to overcome negative forces as well as learn to make informed decision through the knowledge and factual information provided in the formal and co-curricular activities."
Mr Tettey-Enyo said through the GSHS, the Ministry of Education had access to information and data on the health behaviours and protective factors that affected both the immediate and lifetime health status of the youth.
The minister said the GHSH was on critical health behaviours and protective factors established during youthful ages that resulted in the most significant sources of mortality, illness and injury during both youth and adulthood.
These include alcohol and drug use, physical activity, dietary behaviours, mental health, protective factors, violence and unintended injury and sexual behaviours that contributed to HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said he was happy that Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to have a comprehensive surveillance system in place dedicated to monitoring adolescent health behaviours and protective factors across both Junior and Senior High Schools.