By K.P. Kanchana
Beyond scholastics, several abilities are significant for a learner’s holistic development. For a student to create a meaningful learning journey and develop cognitive, social and emotional faculties, mental and emotional well-being is imperative.
The Coronavirus pandemic has been a sort of rude awakening. It has brought about a sobering realisation that the quest for academic excellence should not exclude the matters of health. At the peak of the pandemic, as the education fraternity made a systemic shift from physical classes to online learning to prevent any learning gaps, students increasingly reported mental health issues.
Across schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) learners experienced loneliness, depression, sudden mood swings, lack of concentration, altered sleep patterns, decline in attention, disorientation and pessimism. As the education system steers to normalcy again, institutions are putting health at the centre of the curriculum.
Some of the daily practices that can help to promote mental health and well-being of students are: Incorporating a health curriculum within the learning ecosystem and ensuring adoption of health-promoting activities on campus. Following an open door policy when it comes to addressing students’ health issues, for example through meetings, class representatives.
Adopting instructional strategies that add to a positive environment, for example flipped classrooms where students drive their learning, or self-coordinated time, or open air exercises. Reducing the tension that understudies may feel about assessments and testing through the presentation of conducive types of evaluation, for example developmental appraisal, peer evaluation and including understudies in the identification of their own evaluation needs.
Fostering a learning atmosphere where everybody at the institute can feel involved and socially engaged for better peer bonding, for example in clubs, parties. Being proactive in dealing with ragging, bullying or any practices bound to have negative implications on students’ mental health.
Using informal channels of communication to learn about student’s issues related to diet, substance abuse, mental pressures etc. Incorporating meditation or relaxation time to unwind and de-stress. Allocating fixed time slots for sports or group activities involving teamwork, creativity, and innovation.
Collaborating with guardians to upgrade the understudy’s learning experience and outcome. National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) laments the inadequate psychological support for students in higher education. The guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and NEP advocate the setting up of student counselling systems in higher education institutes. Teacher-counsellors need to be hired and continuously trained and upskilled to offer psychological support to learners.
Institutions need to adopt a researched and planned approach to mental health and well-being. Such an approach should adopt programs aimed at preventing practices that lead to poor mental health and promoting those that support it. Targeted interventions and personalised counselling can go a long way in addressing mental and emotional health issues. The colleges must initiate modules for positive mental health interventions and strengthen the peer support and mentor support systems.
Last but not the least, mental health and well-being should be seen as essential rather than adjunct to the learning process. A student with a sound mental health and stable emotional balance is a quick study with a higher probability of realising the latent potential and excelling in academics and beyond.
The author is assistant professor OB/HR at Jaipuria School of Business, Ghaziabad. Views are personal.