Stressed, bored

Lonely and bored, Mahdia Mahmud is now having trouble concentrating.

"When will I be able to play with my friends again?" the second grader of a reputed school in the capital's Mirpur hurls this question to her parents every now and then.

"I miss my friends. I want to play with them. How long will I have to do online classes?" she further asks.

Her mother Mousumi Julekha said the child is no longer that curious anymore and cries frequently. "My daughter hardly talks to anyone these days," she complained.

She also said, "It seems she has become too emotional and sometimes it's hard to manage her. We can do nothing but let her play games on our phones to keep her occupied."

Mahdia's case is not an isolated one.

Closure of schools across the country for around seven months now has kept millions of children confined to their homes and away from their peers, resulting in growing monotony, boredom and stress, according to educationists and psychologists.

They also said these psychological problems, which came along with the school closure, may leave a long-lasting effect on the mental health of the children.

Children in urban areas are suffering more as most have to live in cramped conditions amid little space. The sense of being confined and having to stay away from friends is affecting these children's mental health badly, psychologists said.

Many of these students lost their near and dear ones to Covid-19 and it is possible that they might develop post-traumatic stress disorder in case they fail to recover from their losses, they warned.

Against this backdrop, the country observes the World Mental Health Day today.

The past months have brought many challenges for students, especially to adapt to attending classes online from home, with little contact with teachers and friends, and amid anxiety about their future, the World Health Organisation said in its website ahead of the Day.

Given past experience of emergencies, it is expected that the need for mental health and psychosocial support will substantially increase in the coming months and years, it said.

On March 17, the government closed the schools to contain the spread of coronavirus. The shutdown was extended till October 30. The authorities have yet to decide when to reopen educational institutions.

Educational activities of about four crore students are being hampered due to the crisis.

"Due to the closure, many students are feeling suffocated, which is stressing them out," Azizur Rahman, an honorary professor at Dhaka University's psychology department, told The Daily Star yesterday.

"These students have become restless and uncontrollable… They can't concentrate on anything… This will negatively impact their mental and physical developments," he said, adding that many of these children might not be able to forget the miserable memories.

Lt Col Hafez Md Zonayed Ahmed, principal of Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, said they witnessed that many of their students were stressed and bored a few days after the coronavirus-driven shutdown was enforced.

Many got hooked to cell phone gaming, chatting and social media platforms.

But after the introduction of sessions between parents and psychiatrists and through online counselling, the situation improved. "Students are feeling a bit more relaxed now," he said.

Prof Kamal Uddin, another teacher at the DU's psychology department, said children were being deprived of their normal academic and other activities with their peer groups and it would certainly leave a negative impact on them.

Kamal said teachers must communicate with their students online and talk to them frequently to keep them stress-free.

Noted educationist Rasheda K Choudhury too said the ongoing school closure could lead to mental and physical problems in children.

Students at different levels would face different problems, she said.

For example, primary students will simply miss their friends and schools while university students can be worried about their future, especially about jobs, said, Rasheda, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE).

She said there should be social campaigns on the importance of mental health of students. "Apart from the government, all social and voluntary organisations should come forward and help these students."

She also said the government should train teachers on taking care of students' mental health.

Contacted, Education Minister Dipu Moni said the government has taken various steps to reduce students' stress. Also, counsellors will be appointed at district level in this regard, she said.

"These counsellors will provide training on how to deal with mental health issues to at least two teachers, including a female one," she said.

Director General Syed Md Golam Faruk of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education said they have already started initiatives to appoint the counsellors.

"We will arrange views-exchange programmes in all regions and experts will sit with officials, teachers and guardians to discuss the mental health issue", he added.

Primary and Mass Education Secretary Akram-Al-Hossain said primary teachers were maintaining communications with students amid the pandemic.