Experts call for action for promoting mental well-being of adolescents, sensitise school teachers

Immediate policy action is needed for promoting the mental well-being of adolescents and a crucial aspect of school-based mental health is the sensitisation of teachers, according to experts.

Sajjan R, the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Bihar, said, "Promoting the well-being of students is crucial to their mental health, educational attainment and holistic development. This is also the focus of the NEP 2020.

“The role of schools and teachers in ensuring this cannot be emphasised enough. Resilience and well-being are being included in all our teacher trainings, and the first orientation of 40,000 teachers has recently been completed,” he said.

Sajjan made the comments at a day-long conference on “Promoting Adolescent Wellbeing in Every School: Bihar Leads the Way”, which saw brainstorming sessions amongst policymakers, educators, and mental health experts to help devise strategies to meet the urgent need.

"We hope to reach every middle school in Bihar so that students can learn about their strengths, become resilient and stay mentally healthy in difficult times. The department is committed to integrating well-being into the state training curricula and textbooks and orienting teachers in early identification and psychosocial support," he added.

According to Urvashi Prasad, Director of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, NITI Aayog, a crucial aspect of school-based mental health and well-being programs is the sensitisation and training of teachers.

"I am glad to learn about the interventions on the role of teachers in promoting the mental well-being of children and adolescents,” she said.

Adolescents in all government middle schools and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in Bihar are receiving a well-being programme through a three-year collaboration between the Bihar government and CorStone, a non-profit organisation that works to foster inner health and well-being in marginalised and vulnerable youth.

The programmes integrate evidence-based practices from the fields of emotional resilience, positive psychology, social-emotional learning, and conflict resolution with adolescent health training to improve mental and physical well-being, school engagement, self-advocacy, social skills and relationships among youth.

The NCERT surveyed school students last year about their thoughts on mental health and well-being.

The survey revealed that students feel responsible for doing well in school, like school in general, but also feel anxious and have mood swings related to studies and exams, which points to the need for a holistic approach towards ensuring good mental health of school children.