Almost three months after a mental health expert warned of the growing psychological effects that students are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of schools, the situation has continued to escalate with younger children self-harming, a higher than usual level of student absenteeism and the secondary school drop-out rate increasing as children take up jobs to help their families survive.
According to Public Relations Officer, National Council of the Parent-Teacher Association (NCPTA) Shamila Raheem, one school in the Caroni Education District had recorded a drop-out rate of between eight and ten per cent among its secondary students between January to present.
She claimed there were more schools in this district where similar situations are occurring.
Raheem said the usual excuse was that the students need to work to provide financial support to their family, many of whom are single parent units or where parents have experienced some form of job loss/retrenchment because of the pandemic.
She told the Sunday Guardian this trend was not limited to her district alone. “At a school in Princes Town, the child began working in a grocery and the mother said she supports that because there is no one else to help them," Raheem said
“There are a lot of cases like that where the children, because of the economic strain on some families, have no choice but to go out and find a job.
“There are so many families who do not even have basic items such as rice and flour,” Raheem added.
Association of Psychiatrists of T&T secretary Dr Varma Deyalsingh
Back in January, the secretary of the Association of Psychiatrists of T&T Dr Varma Deyalsingh called on the Ministry of Education (MOE) to introduce a depression rating scale to its online curriculum, so troubled students could be identified and social workers can intervene.
And even though the MOE has confirmed increased requests for interventions from students from March 2020 to the present and said they were working to help, concerned stakeholders added that not enough was being done to address the issue.
Shamila Raheem
NCPTA to MOE: Act now
Appealing to the MOE to act now before it is too late, Raheem said the decision to only allow Forms Four to Six students to return to the physical classroom on April 12 was “a major setback for these kids.”
She said the lack of social interaction with teachers and classmates was the main reason behind the increasing levels of frustration and anxiety a lot of students are now displaying as online schooling resumed.
A 13-year-old pupil from the North Eastern Education District who is due to write the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam on June 10 made an attempt on her life over a week ago by consuming bleach. She later told police officers and the psychiatrist that she was stressed over online schooling and felt unable to cope with exam preparations.
Schools across T&T including pre-schools, primary and secondary institutions have been closed since March 16, 2020.
This is just the latest case of children harming themselves. In January, a 14-year-old from Chaguanas died by suicide even though he had been receiving counselling.
Raheem said, “More counselling needs to be done. We need social workers to come into the Zoom classroom now so they can reach those who need help.”
She believes similar incidents of self-harm could be expected in the coming months if there are no serious interventions.
APPSS: The issue is real
President of the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools of T&T (APPSS), Sherra Carrington-James said while they do not have official statistics to reinforce these claims, reports reaching them indicate students are not logging in to online educational platforms as they should and that efforts to have their parents collect packages are not being responded to.
She said, “It is a real circumstance but as to how prevalent it is, I cannot say.”
Indicating that any child whose education has been affected is of concern to the APSS, Carrington-James said issues can be referred to the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) via principals at respective schools.
However, she remains adamant that in terms of "what may potentially be a nationwide problem, that is something the MOE must address.”
Carrington-James said, “In order to assess the magnitude of the incidents we are aware of, you would really have to have resources to go out there into homes and find out where these children are.”
She said there were multiple reasons why students may not be attending classes such as lack of access to a device; lack of connectivity; and even a lack of financial resources by parents to collect packages as they may not live close to the school.
According to Carrington-James some students have thrived from being on the virtual platform while others have not.
T&T not alone in this growing phenomenon
According to an NBC report two weeks ago, the number of children in the United States between the ages six-12 who visited children’s hospitals for suicidal thoughts or self-harm had more than doubled since 2016.
Presenting her views on this trend, the president of the T&T Association of Psychologists (TTAP) Wendy Jeremie said they had been receiving calls from parents about this phenomenon.
She indicated, “Children are having suicide ideation and requests are coming from younger and younger children. Calls are also coming from teenagers who can’t cope.”
Jeremie said online classes are a mode of learning that has now become the norm because of these unprecedented times and it has affected all strata of learning including tertiary, secondary, primary and even those at the kindergarten level.
To assist students who are stressed, Jeremie encouraged parents to create an environment at home that could lend itself to ensuring this type of learning is successful.
For example, parents must continue with routines and ensure their children are at their computers when classes begin.
She advised, “Parents must foster an environment that provides their children to be actively engaged in activities that do not require the use of computers, laptops for extended periods of time.”
Additionally, she urged parents to listen to what their children have to say and to get them out of the house to relax.
“Most children are already engaged in playing games online via cell phones. Parents should attempt to try their best to foster some innovative ways to have their children actively engage in activities away from the screen. Sometimes having creative ways of playing or participating in old-time games such as moral, hopscotch, cricket, football, catch. It is as simple as that.”
Another way of getting students to open up is using words to dramatise what they have read or learnt during the day away from the computer environment.
Jeremie suggested, "Have them take a walk around the block and discussions should take place then. Very light discussions. Children should be given space to speak and air their issues outside of the house while walking."
Teachers, she said, need to develop innovative ways to receive feedback from their students. They also need to foster an environment in which students can give their feedback about how they feel during this stressful time and, of course, try to assist them.”
The TTAP is part of the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Network (MHPSS) which was launched by the MOH in January 2021 and members of the public can use FindCareTT to access services provided on this network.
Findcarett.com contains a directory of services delivered by the Technical Working Group of the MHPSS which was activated in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TTAP is also a part of the Virtual Wellness Platform which offers free services to the public. People wishing to use the hotline can log on to the website, www.virtualwellness.com
IWRN president Adriana Sandrine Isaac-Rattan
Guardian Archives
IWRN Head: The Issues Are Not Being Addressed
Referring to the Standard Five pupil who made an attempt on her life over a week ago, President of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Adriana Sandrine Isaac-Rattan said it was sad but that “she was only one of many.”
Without compromising their clients, Isaac-Rattan said the IWRN’s efforts had found many situations where parents are feeling stressed after losing their jobs and situations where many women have become victims of domestic abuse.
She said “Because of all those adult stresses, the children in the space are feeling it because they feel no one cares about them, the online space is not doing well because we have insufficient monitoring and inconsistency with some of the classes...those are some of the reports we have been receiving.”
Longing for the in-person connection with others, Isaac-Rattan said some children were refusing to learn as a result.
Isaac-Rattan has become concerned about the situation as she believes it is a “tipping point” which the authorities need to address urgently. “We have to look at how to quell that immediately in order to salvage the children’s mental health.”
Bracing for similar types of incidents ahead, the IWRN head said, “We need parents to be more observant because right now, a lot of persons are caught up in their own situations and as a result of that they don’t have the kind of time to dedicate to the child.
“If we don’t come together as a country to act now to save our youths, we can expect more incidents like these in short order.”
Education Minister: We Are Working To Help
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said the Student Support Services Division had seen an increase in student requests for counselling since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country last year.
Via WhatsApp, she said, “The SSSD through the School Social Workers and Guidance Counsellors, has indicated an increase in requests for interventions with students since March 2020 to present.”
“The issues vary, but there has not been a marked increase in referral of suicidal students. They have been offering counselling to students online as well as face to face where absolutely necessary.”