22-05-2025
‘Sugar boards' coming to schools: CBSE's push to fight students' diabetes risk
With most of the school canteens brimming with colas, chips, and candies, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) ) has rolled out a directive asking all affiliated schools to install 'sugar boards'—a step aimed at tackling the growing risk of Type 2 diabetes among children.
In a move blending health education with visual awareness, over 26,000 CBSE schools across India have been instructed to display information on sugar content in everyday foods, its health risks, and alternatives to sugary snacks and drinks. Schools have been given a July 15 deadline to upload photographs of the boards as proof of compliance, a board official said in a missive to all the school principal.
'There is a clear link between the rise in diabetes cases among children and the easy availability of sugary snacks, soft drinks, and processed foods within school environments,' CBSE said in a letter to school principals.
CBSE officials cited findings that children between 4 to 10 years derive around 13% of their daily calories from sugar, while those aged 11 to 18 years consume up to 15%, three times the recommended limit of 5%.
The proliferation of sugary snacks, beverages, and processed foods, often readily available in school environments, contributes significantly to this excessive intake, said Praggya M Singh, director (academics), CBSE.
These boards will include data on recommended daily sugar limits, sugar content in commonly consumed items, and long-term health consequences such as obesity, diabetes, and poor academic performance.
The directive follows an appeal from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which urged CBSE to ensure the health rights of children, especially those from marginalised groups, are upheld through preventive measures in schools.
Former CBSE chairman Ashok Ganguly urged the board to embed such efforts into the core curriculum for lasting impact. 'We need to move beyond posters and ensure that health education is felt and internalised by students. The NEP 2020 already supports integrating physical and health education into all school levels,' Ganguly said. He suggested that CBSE develop supplementary material under a 'Frontline Curriculum' to further engage students in understanding the effects of sugar and nutrition.
School principals in Lucknow expressed support for the initiative. 'We already conduct adolescent health sessions, and this move will help reinforce healthy eating habits,' said Meenakshi Bahadur, principal of Study Hall.
'A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. We fully support the initiative,' added Fr Paul Correa, principal of Cathedral Senior Secondary School.
