Bring mental health to classrooms: Child rights panel

Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asking that mental health be brought into the classrooms.

On the eve of World Mental Health Day, GSCPCR chairperson Peter F Borges in a letter to Sawant said that based on meetings post COVID-19, there is evidence that mental illnesses have struck children and thus there is need of bringing mental health into the classrooms, a demand they had already made early this year.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought a complex array of challenges which had mental health repercussions for everyone, including children and adolescents. Grief, fear, uncertainty, social isolation, increased screen time and parental fatigue have negatively affected the mental health of children,” the letter said.

It added that in adolescents, changes seen were hyperactivity or fidgeting, sleeping and eating disturbances, agitation, increased conflicts, physical complaints, delinquent behaviour, coupled with change in lifestyle, upbringing of kids, growth of technology, nuclear family and lack of guidance from parents that led to a vacuum in children’s lives.

GSCPCR Chairperson Peter F Borges said, “Today’s world is fast-moving, and our children are living in an era where human emotions are shared over the touch of a mobile phone. Here, new-age problems like cyber bulling, grooming, addiction, online child sexual abuse are on the rise. Substance abuse has also gripped our children in school with various illegal substances being widely used or abused by school students.”

Stating that the use of electronic cigarettes is likely to rise to epidemic levels among students, Borges said, “Those abusing substances experience numerous social, economic, physical and legal consequences.”

Stating that protection of children is severely compromised which can be seen with several sexual abuse cases, delayed reporting of these, teenage pregnancies that point out to a frightening environment in schools, he said that school systems are not able to handle deviant behaviours of students.

He said, “Students, who are at the peak of vulnerability at this age, need a neutral and non-judgmental person as a counsellor, who not only understands their feelings but also helps them in ventilation of feelings and emotions.”

Appreciating the government efforts of deploying close to 77 counsellors and 19 supervisors, Borges said it falls short of a comprehensive resolution to the crisis. “It is still an under-investment in mental health and has led to serious gaps in prevention and care for children and adolescents.”

He added that The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 places upon the government the obligation to ensure that sufficient funds are allocated for ensuring mental health services are made available in adequate quantity to meet the needs of the population.

He further said, “It’s the earnest request of the Commission to make counsellors, a vital part of the educational team, where children have adequate access to school counsellor in every school.”

Borges concluded the letter saying, “The Commission call on you to create a dedicated and permanent funding stream in the next budget, for delivering mental health interventions for our students through one counsellor for each school.”