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Mental health advisory panel, training school teachers: Education ministry manual
Constitute a mental health advisory panel, design a mental health programme and annual plan, sensitise stakeholders, and train teachers for early identification and intervention of mental health problems in children — these are the key recommendations made in a manual issued by the education ministry for schools and teachers
New Delhi: Constitute a mental health advisory panel, design a mental health programme and annual plan, sensitise stakeholders, and train teachers for early identification and intervention of mental health problems in children — these are the key recommendations made in a manual issued by the education ministry for schools and teachers.
The manual has been issued following the first-ever mental health and well-being survey conducted by the ministry among 3.7 lakh schoolchildren. The report of the survey was released on Tuesday.
There is a perceptible rise in challenges related to psychosocial well-being of students, according to the document prepared by a committee led by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal, a mental health expert. It is, therefore, crucial to foster an emotional and behavioural safety climate in schools, it said.
“Also, there is a strong growing need to equip teachers and allied caregivers with requisite information and skills to facilitate early identification and basic intervention (psychosocial first aid) for the flag signs of mental health conditions in children and adolescents,” the document stated.
Every school or groups of schools should establish a mental health advisory panel, the manual recommended. It should be chaired by the principal and have teachers, parents, students and alumni as members. It will create awareness, and also plan and enforce an “age and gender appropriate” annual school mental health programme.
The main goal of a school mental health programme would be to help children practice methods like Yoga and life skills regularly to promote their well-being. This will equip them to manage stress effectively. “The school should have a provision for identifying behaviour, substance use and self-harm, depression, and developmental concerns, provide first aid and make appropriate referrals,” the manual said.
Besides that, schools should also have adolescent student-driven health magazine wall activity under the supervision of teachers, which would carry out a monthly theme-based activity and publish theme-based community literature.
Emphasising on the importance of training teachers, the document said most of the time mental health issues emerge at an early stage of life as half of all mental health conditions emerge by the time individuals are 14 years old and three-quarters by the age of 25. “Apart from families and parents, teachers need to be informed about early flag signs as they too are the primary caregivers.”
Teachers must be trained in identifying early signs in students for attachment issues, separation anxiety, school refusal, communication issues, anxiety patterns, depressive states, conduct related issues, excessive internet use, hyperactivity, intellectual disability, and learning disabilities, it said.
Stressing that bullying is a major issue and risk factor for mental health concerns among school students, the ministry manual states, “Teachers should talk about bullying cases in class and empower students by educating them regarding bullying. They should provide a confidential way for students to report any incident which is of concern to them,”
It also stated that schools must educate and train the school teachers in identifying the possible signs, symptoms and behaviours of survivors of child sexual abuse.
Once a teacher identifies the issue, she should discuss the matter with parents and school counsellors, the manual said. In severe cases, the school should refer the matter to a mental health professional, the document added.
Explaining the importance of the manual, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his note said, “It will help teachers, teacher educators, counsellors, and allied stakeholders in identifying emotional and behavioural issues at the right time and improvise linkages and with family and community to take care of the mental health needs of children.”
