Revolutionizing Wellness: CBSE Champions a Healthy School Lifestyle with ‘Oil Boards’

In a significant stride towards fostering a healthier future for India’s youth, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a directive to all affiliated schools, urging them to establish ‘Oil Boards’ and reinforce initiatives that promote a truly healthy school lifestyle among students and staff. This progressive move underscores the growing national concern over alarming obesity rates and lifestyle diseases, positioning schools as pivotal centers for cultivating lifelong wellness habits.

The Urgent Call for a Healthy School Lifestyle

The CBSE’s recent circular (Acad-45/2025), dated July 15, 2025, serves as a crucial follow-up to its earlier ‘Sugar Boards’ directive (Acad-26/2025 dated May 14, 2025). This sustained focus highlights a comprehensive approach to combating diet-related health challenges. The board’s mandate is driven by stark statistics: the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5, 2019-21) reveals that over one in five urban adults in India are overweight or obese. More alarmingly, the 2025 Lancet Global Burden of Disease (GBD) obesity forecasting study projects a staggering increase, with the number of overweight and obese adults in India expected to more than double from 18 crore in 2021 to 44.9 crore by 2050. This places India with the second-highest global burden of obesity. Childhood obesity, a direct precursor to adult health issues, is primarily attributed to poor dietary habits and insufficient physical activity – emphasizing the dire need for a proactive healthy school lifestyle intervention.

Introducing ‘Oil Boards’: A Pillar of the Healthy School Lifestyle Initiative

At the heart of the CBSE’s latest initiative are the ‘Oil Boards’. These are envisioned as dynamic, informative displays, both digital and static, to be prominently installed in high-traffic areas within school premises such as cafeterias, lobbies, and meeting rooms. The primary objective of these boards is to educate and sensitize the entire school community – students, teachers, and administrative staff alike – about the detrimental effects of excessive oil consumption. By visually reinforcing the message of mindful eating, ‘Oil Boards’ aim to be a constant reminder, subtly guiding individuals towards a more balanced and healthy school lifestyle.

Beyond the visual impact of the ‘Oil Boards’, the CBSE circular mandates a multi-pronged strategy to embed healthy practices into the daily fabric of school life. These measures are designed to create an environment where a healthy school lifestyle is not just encouraged but becomes an intrinsic part of the educational journey.

Key Measures for Cultivating a Healthier School Environment:

• Pervasive Health Messaging: Schools are encouraged to print health-promoting messages on all official stationery and publications, ensuring continuous reinforcement of healthy habits to combat obesity. This subtle yet constant exposure aims to keep wellness at the forefront of everyone’s mind, fostering a sustained healthy school lifestyle.
• Promotion of Nutritious Meals: A strong emphasis is placed on providing and promoting nutritious food options within school cafeterias. This includes prioritizing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat selections, while actively limiting the availability of sugary drinks and high-fat snacks. This dietary shift is fundamental to achieving a healthy school lifestyle.
• Encouraging Physical Activity: The directive calls for creative ways to integrate physical activity into the school day. This includes simple yet effective measures like encouraging students to use stairs instead of elevators, implementing short exercise breaks during class hours, and facilitating safe walking routes around the campus. These efforts are crucial for promoting an active and healthy school lifestyle.
• Experiential Learning: To enhance engagement and ownership, schools are urged to involve students in the design and preparation of the ‘Oil Boards’. This hands-on approach is expected to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for health-conscious practices, making the adoption of a healthy school lifestyle more organic.
• Leveraging Resources: The CBSE has highlighted the availability of relevant Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, including posters and videos, through the official YouTube channel of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Schools are encouraged to utilize these resources to enrich their health education programs, further supporting a comprehensive healthy school lifestyle.

A Holistic Approach to a Healthy School Lifestyle

This latest initiative aligns seamlessly with broader national health campaigns, including the Prime Minister’s steadfast emphasis on reducing cooking oil consumption by 10% each month and the overarching ‘Fit India Movement’. By drawing parallels between self-reliance (Atmanirbharta) in technology and the importance of indigenous solutions in health promotion, the CBSE underscores the critical role of schools in safeguarding the nation’s health from the grassroots level.

School authorities are now tasked with the vital responsibility of instilling healthier habits in the young generation. By actively embedding a robust healthy school lifestyle within their educational environments, they contribute significantly to stemming the tide of the obesity epidemic and ensuring a safer, healthier generation, better equipped to face future challenges with enhanced wellbeing. This vision reinforces the indispensable role of schools in shaping lifelong habits of wellness and preparing students not just academically, but also physically for a thriving future.