EDITORIAL – Good mental health key for students
A suggestion has been made that some students may be in need of psychological interventions or psychosocial support as they make their way back to school in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Shawn Clarke, CEO of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development, raised the issue as schools here reopened. He says that it should not be business as usual and the relevant educational authorities should find it fit to have professionals engage students, who may have various challenges in reorienting themselves back into the school environment, after such a long period of being away from the classroom.
Now the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), in partnership with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), will be hosting a webinar today to explore a number of mental health concerns as schools reopen their doors.
The webinar is entitled “Re-opening Schools: Shared perspectives on navigating mental health during COVID-19”, and it is designed to explore the mental health concerns of key actors within schools across the region and to discuss strategies to cultivate school ecosystems that support positive mental health and well-being.
According to the organisers, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed schooling as we know it, largely shutting down traditional face to face education and forcing children, teachers and parents to struggle with an entirely new world of virtual learning. They further point out that significant uncertainty still looms as educational institutions across the Caribbean prepare for the 20/21 academic year.
“We are already beginning to see the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic on students and teachers in the school community. Guidance counsellors designated to provide in-school support may be ill-equipped to handle the anticipated rise in mental health issues experienced by children. Parents and caregivers have been highlighted as key actors in this new school system, serving their role as a parent, while also navigating virtual learning/homeschooling and providing holistic support for their children during this time,” the organisers said.
Indeed, this issue cannot be overlooked. A lot of focus has been placed on adults going back to work, but we cannot leave out the children and youth. Attention must be paid to such a critical area as good mental functioning is key for everyone, big or small.
It is good to see therefore that the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training has taken this into account in the Guidelines for the Safe Operation of Schools, sent out ahead of their reopening. In those guidelines, the Ministry outlines the steps for those in need of mental health and psychosocial support. The Ministry notes that schools are encouraged to develop intervention strategies to address the social and emotional learning needs of students who show signs of distress, anxiety or inability to cope during the return to school.
Parents of any student in need of mental health or psychosocial support are also being encouraged to reach out for assistance by contacting the Ministry. Persons should take up the offer, if indeed it is needed.