Several children struggle with mental illness at schools in Uganda. Researchers and mental health specialists have argued that the heavy curricula and competitive examination systems are partly responsible for this problem. Agnes Kyotalengerire sought ideas from parents, mental health experts and teachers for how to combat mental illness in schoolchildren.
Dr Hellen Namusoke, a paediatrician at Bethany Women and Family hospital
Many children are depressed. We get children below eight years complaining of pain in different parts of their bodies. Upon examination, we realise that the children are actually not suffering from any illness but their minds are disturbed. Some are deprived of sleep as they have to wake up at five o’clock in the morning every day to leave home for school. They return home with assignments to be submitted to the teachers the following day. The children are accumulating pressure that they cannot contain.
You will find children throwing tantrums, being non-responsive and uninterested in playing with their peers because of stress. We get many cases of children who have lost their appetite due to stress. In addition, schools are giving children a lot of academic content to make up for the two years lost during the COVID-19 lockdown. Some parents have sent their children to boarding schools to help them catch up, but some cannot cope with the pressures of boarding schools. We are getting many cases of children who have experienced fainting episodes.
Dr Cleophus Mugenyi, commissioner of basic education
The education system is an issue because it picks the best and ignores those who fail the exams. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the existing pressures as children have a lot to catch up with. Some learners skipped classes after the lockdown was lifted because parents did not want their children to lose time. This has escalated the pressure. But the new lower secondary curriculum is reducing pressure at that level. However, the pupils in primary will continue to experience pressure because your performance in Primary Leaving Exams determines where you go after that level.
But the continuous assessment across the education system would be useful. The de-motivating comments teachers write in the reports worry some children. They need words of encouragement. The teachers need to talk with children and their parents in order to understand their challenges. There is a need for more guidance and counselling and mentorship in schools. We are now doing a lot of psychosocial work and encouraging guidance and counselling.
Derrick Kizza Mbuga, executive director of Mental Health Uganda, NGO
Our education system is too competitive. Parents send their children to schools that produce good grades. In order to keep producing these grades, the schools have subjected the children to intensive reading at the expense of their mental health. The intensive academic work in some schools makes students lose interest in studying. The schools need to give learners life skills in addition to academic studies. We need some form of regulation and ensure that schools now prioritise activities that promote mental health like physical education.
Wilberforce Karugahe, a professor of psychology at Makerere University
Many of our children are going through what we call maturation in psychology. This simply means that children are given more (content) than they can take in. The children have so many things to do within a short time, which definitely has an impact on their mental health. The attention span of these children is still too low and giving them too many things takes a heavy toll on their mental health. They are stressed.
If they are not helped cope with stress, it can result in depression. The children should be allowed to relax and engage in co-curricular activities to fight stress. We need counsellors and psychologists in schools to attend to mental health issues.
Dr Hafsa Lutwata, assistant commissioner for mental health and substance abuse at the health ministry
Children have a lot of things to deal with now. They have phones and have to engage with social media and school at the same time. But they are not having enough physical activity to help revitalise their mental health. The factors in the environment at home and at school are affecting the children’s mental health. Just like the causes, the solutions for mental health disorders must be multifaceted.
Florence Nsubuga, chief operations officer at UMEME
The children have had to deal with intensive academic work and a changed environment since they returned to school after the COVID-19 lockdown. Some classes have more children than they had before the lockdown. As parents and teachers, we need to be empathetic to our children and avoid pushing things down our children’s throats.
Grace Oilor, a counsellor at St. Peter’s SS Nsambya
Many factors are responsible for mental illness among children. Some have been sexually harassed and this has serious effects on their mental health. Some have been exposed to pornography. There are children who have told us that their parents use abusive language at home and this affects them mentally. We need to understand that the children who were sexually abused during the lockdown are quietly grieving over their lost virginity. In some of these cases, the parents do not even know what their children are going through.
As counsellors, we need to do needs assessments to understand the unique issues among the children. Fine Art teachers can help children express their feelings through art. It is also important to empower the teachers to be able to appreciate the mental health issues children face as they deal with them on almost a daily basis. As counsellors, we can provide a framework for handling mental issues.
Joviah Tugumisirize, counselling psychologist
Mental health is a big issue. It is also complex that teachers need special skills and knowledge to be able to help children deal with mental problems. They need to be able to identify the children struggling with depression. The teachers and counsellors in schools need a multifaceted approach to help the children cope with mental health issues in schools. The children need to be helped to enjoy their childhood and the learning environment free from depression.
