Dear Editor,
In a recent community open conversation on Mental Health, a high school student spoke of the difficulty of dealing with virtual schooling, and of dealing with the frustration of teachers and others who found it difficult in the pandemic. The student also said that the school did not have any specific sessions on mental health and wellness so there were few opportunities for students to talk about how they were dealing with things.
The recent news that the Child Protection Agency did a session with some students after the loss of one of their classmates opens up the question as to whether the Ministry of Education has any serious plans for providing systematic psycho-social support for students and teachers during the pandemic. Teachers should not be expected to provide this support.
Hopefully the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection could work together with qualified persons to do the interactive sessions with students to sustain mental health and wellness in these times.
Yours sincerely,
Vidyaratha Kissoon