Pupils, parents, and teachers of St. Lukes Primary School have unanimously agreed to ban sugary drinks in the school. The initiative was introduced by school principal Sister Anita Peter who said it was to reduce the incidence of diabetes among pupils. She made this known at the recent AGM of the Dominica Diabetes Association (DOMDA).
According to the principal, sweetened drinks are no longer permitted in the school and students are only permitted to drink water. She said the school canteen has reduced the sales of sweetened drinks to students as part of this move. Both students and pupils have taken kindly to the development, agreeing it is all to promote better health for their loved ones.
“With our constant education on the importance of water and having their bags checked daily by the teachers, the students were happy to bring water to school,” Sister Anita Peter said. “This initiative was not only introduced at school but also extend to our homes. At our school meetings, parents reported that they themselves began to drink more water than juice at home and it helps to reduce their spending, simply because you have to purchase juice for the children every Saturday.”
A young pupil in the school, Kaiden Xavier, said he embraces the “Water, no juice” policy. He said he informed his parents to give him only water to school after the principal made them see the health benefits of water over sugary drinks. He added water gives him more satisfaction than beverages and encouraged pupils in the school to ditch sweetened beverages for water.
Principal Peter said she looks forward to having the water-only policy extended to all schools in Dominica.
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