The health hazards and unhealthy lifestyle of people need to be addressed seriously and the schools are playing a significant role here. Schools have a strategic role in promoting the good health of children and interventions by health promoting schools have had a positive impact on levels of physical growth of students, reduced involvement in addictive habits like smoking and drug intake, healthy eating habits and more. Certain instructions and directives from the World Health Organization
(WHO) are laid out for schools. 7 important guidelines for health-promoting schools by WHO are:

1. A health-promoting school should create an environment that is built on healthy practices that lead to increased positive learning outcomes.
2. Adequate measures should be adopted by a school to keep the students,
   teaching staff, school personnel and families to keep all in the pink of health.
3. An important guideline of WHO regarding health-promoting schools is to form, implement and promote such policies that respect every person’s dignity and well –being. To elaborate further, we mean that schooling staff and students are oriented towards maintaining a respectful attitude towards each other.
4. Competitions and contests are healthy ways of improving mental health of students and inspiring them towards success. These co-curricular and extra- curricular activities are excellent mediums for motivating students towards personal achievements. Therefore, the health-promoting schools are encouraged to provide several physical and mental growth opportunities to pupils.
5. Schools should focus on offering wholesome learning besides encouraging healthy growth of students, experiment and implement measures that are concentrated towards oneself and others.
6. When we talk about holistic growth, we refer to socio-economic-physical and mental growth all together. To provide such a healthy environment, the community involvement is invited. From students, parents, teachers, educationists, health service providers to society’s important and influential persons, all need to take pro-active measures for an environment that is conducive to all.
7. The guidelines advice schools to work towards encouraging physical education and having recreation facilities or programmes. Schools are advised to orient staff, students and community about several nutrition and food safety programmes.

These guidelines by World Health Organization are essential for any health promoting schools that aim to contribute in building a stronger, healthier and progressive nation.