New Delhi: Constitute a mental health advisory panel, design a mental health program and annual plan, sensitize stakeholders and train teachers in early identification and intervention of mental health problems in children: these are the key recommendations made in a manual issued by education. Ministry for schools and teachers.
The manual was published after the first mental health and well-being survey conducted by the ministry among 3.7 lakh school children. The survey report was published on Tuesday.
There is a perceptible increase in challenges related to the psychosocial well-being of students, according to the document prepared by a committee led by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, an expert in mental health. Therefore, fostering a climate of emotional and behavioral safety in schools is crucial, he said.
“In addition, there is a strong and growing need to equip teachers and allied caregivers with the information and skills necessary to facilitate early identification and basic intervention (psychosocial first aid) for the flag signs of mental health conditions in children and adolescents”, states the document.
Each school or group of schools should establish a mental health advisory panel, the manual recommends. It must be chaired by the director and have as members teachers, parents, students and alumni. It will raise awareness, as well as plan and enforce an annual “age and gender appropriate” school mental health program.
The main goal of a school mental health program would be to help children regularly practice methods such as yoga and life skills to promote their well-being. This will equip them to handle stress effectively. “The school must have a provision to identify behavior, substance use and self-harm, depression and developmental problems, provide first aid and make appropriate referrals,” the manual says.
In addition to that, schools should also have a health magazine wall activity driven by teen students under the supervision of teachers, who would hold a monthly activity based on a theme and post community literature based on a theme.
Emphasizing the importance of training teachers, the document says mental health problems most often arise early in life, with half of all mental health conditions arising when people are 14 years and three quarters at 25 years. “In addition to families and parents, teachers need to be informed about the early warning signs, as they are also the main caregivers.”
Teachers must be trained to identify the first signs in students of attachment problems, separation anxiety, school refusal, communication problems, anxiety patterns, depressive states, behavior-related problems, excessive use of the Internet, hyperactivity, disability intellectual and learning disabilities, he said.
Emphasizing that bullying is a major problem and a risk factor for mental health problems among school students, the ministry manual states: “Teachers should discuss bullying in class and empower students educating them about bullying. They must provide a confidential way for students to report any incident of concern to them.”
He also stated that schools should educate and train school teachers in identifying the possible signs, symptoms, and behaviors of survivors of child sexual abuse.
Once a teacher identifies the problem, they should discuss the matter with parents and school counselors, the manual says. In severe cases, the school must refer the matter to a mental health professional, the document adds.
Explaining the importance of the manual, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in his note: “It will help teachers, teacher educators, counselors and allied stakeholders to identify emotional and behavioral problems at the right time and improvise links and with the family and the community to address the mental health needs of children”.
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