As kids process grief, Delhi schools lend a hand

Tania Joshi, principal of The Indian School, said at least six students in her school have lost one of their parents this month.

From organising online prayer meets for students who lost their parents to Covid to ensuring constant communication with them, schools in the national capital are taking various steps to ensure emotional and mental support for these children to process their grief.

The Central Board of Secondary Education also launched a mobile application for students of classes 9 to 12 on Monday to look at the psychosocial wellness of students. (HT photo)

Tania Joshi, principal of The Indian School, said at least six students in her school have lost one of their parents this month. “These deaths can weigh heavily on the minds of children and there has to be a specialised approach because every situation is different. We have asked teachers to be in touch with these students and their families. Many families are still in shock and we will encourage them to opt for counselling when they are ready,” she said.

Ameeta Wattal, principal of Springdales Pusa Road, said the school tries to be the first contact for the child after they receive information of a parent’s death. “We have created WhatsApp groups where teachers inform us if there has been a death of a parent. We first call the immediate relatives of the parent to get stock of the situation there, ask about the child, and assure the family of any assistance they need,” she said.

The school then gets in touch with the classmates and their parents to find out the child’s closest friends and establish a peer group. The peer group is then instructed to keep the child engaged and busy through conversation, activities and group phone calls as it is easier for them to talk to someone their age. The school also organises virtual prayer meetings for children and is planning on a “concert of hope”.

“We will share photographs of those who have lost their lives to Covid and bring the children together on a platform so that they can share their grief. The death of a parent involves more than mental health issues. Their entire lives will change because of this,” she said.

Psychologist Manveen Kaur, who is the counsellor at Amity International School in Saket, said that dealing with death is more difficult with children as they often don’t understand their emotions or are unable to identify or communicate it, leading to behavioural changes.

“If grief counselling is not done in the right way, it would have long-term adverse effects like longstanding depression and anxiety in children, trust issues in life and can become a part of their personality,” she said, adding that they are doing family therapy with such children and their immediate family members.

“The family members are the immediate contact of the children and need to be counselled on how to behave with them and involve them in daily activities or look for changes in their behaviour,” she said.

Divya Bhatia, principal of Amity International School in Saket, said the school is planning voluntary group therapy sessions where children can share their grief together.

Schools are also helping students with other necessities during the pandemic. “From providing cooked meals for the families who tested positive to arranging for medicines, oxygen or cremation facilities, we have a dedicated cell looking into the various needs which came up during the pandemic,” said Alka Kapur, principal of Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh.

Government schools in the capital have also asked their teachers to maintain communication with children and parents despite the ongoing summer vacation. Sarita Batra, principal at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Shalimar Bagh, said the school management committee has also been active in keeping tabs on the children to see if they need any help.

“We have been recording motivational stories on fighting these challenging times and sending them to children. Sometimes, we also discuss stories on video conferencing platforms with each section and turn this into a storytelling session, allowing children to express themselves. Our teachers also record voice messages for the children on WhatsApp and motivate them to not lose hope,” she said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education also launched a mobile application for students of classes 9 to 12 on Monday to look at the psychosocial wellness of students. The app offers counselling sessions, educational material on social, emotional and behavioural issues such as depression, anxiety over exams and internet addiction disorder, among others.