Guided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013), the Education Act and the Public Health Act,
the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health
and Child Care, embarked on the development of the School Health Policy. The need for a
school health policy was highlighted in the 1999 report by the Presidential Commission of
Inquiry into Education and Training which inspired the design of the Curriculum Framework
(2015 – 2022). Furthermore, this policy fulfills the recommendation of Health Commission
Report of 1999 which highlighted the need for the provision of comprehensive health services
for schools. As a result, the school health education content in the Zimbabwe curriculum for
primary and secondary schools has been strengthened.

According to Section 29 Subsection 1 and 3 of the Zimbabwe Constitution;
1. The State must take all practical measures to ensure the provision of basic, accessible
and adequate health services throughout Zimbabwe
2. The State must take all preventive measures within the limits of the resources available
to it, including education and public awareness programmes, against the spread of
disease.

Section 64 Subsection 1 of The Education Act, as amended in 2006, stipulates that the Minister
of Primary and Secondary Education in consultation with the Minister responsible for Health
shall make regulations for the purposes of safeguarding the health of learners.