The Wellbeing of India’s Children: A Call for Action for Schools

Luxembourg & Hyderabad, India. In recent years, the terms “mental health”, “wellbeing”, “wellness” became common in everyday speech in educational settings. This is part of a profound transformation that the education sector is undergoing across the world, recognizing the importance of students’ wellbeing and its correlation to academic performance and other positive outcomes.

The global focus on student wellbeing has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and alarming statistics from health organizations around the world, highlight the urgency of this issue. For example, studies show that one in three teens is being bullied every month, and four out of five students fail to meet physical activity recommendations. Furthermore, the World Health Organization reports that one in seven students experiences a mental health disorder.  

Similar findings emerge from studies conducted in India, with certain wellbeing issues leaving Indian children more vulnerable. Some specific issues include student inability or resistance to seek help, resulting in a huge treatment gap – less than 1% of children with mental illnesses receive necessary care. Additionally, while there has been a commendable progress in past years, issues of wellbeing inequality related to cultural, gender and socio-economic factors still exist.  Studies show that students with lower wellbeing level are more likely to drop out of school or repeat a grade.

In response to these challenges, the Indian government, through its National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and its National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2023), has recognized wellbeing as one of the fundamental goals of education and calls schools to promote student wellness. This call is aligned with The World Health Organization and other policymakers, that urge schools to support students’ wellbeing and mental health through early detection of issues and early intervention.

Schools can play a significant role in promoting wellbeing among students. Many schools have already taken proactive steps such as including wellbeing programs in their curricula. Some schools started to employ screening tools to identify issues early on, and deliver evidence-based interventions when needed. Acknowledging the importance of students’ wellbeing by school management teams is fundamental, alongside the proactive actions to promote students’ wellbeing in schools.   

-  Bosmat Kochavi is a wellbeing leader and co-founder of Schoolmait, a wellbeing measurement partner for schools.

-  Rajagopal Yadavalli is Managing Director of Winnou, ed-tech solutions firm based in Hyderabad, India.

References:

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657557/

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https://oxfordimpact.oup.com/home/wellbeing-impact-study/

• National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF 2023)

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NCF-School-Education-Pre-Draft.pdf

• National Education Policy (NEP 2020)

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

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https://www.austriaca.at/0xc1aa5576_0x003cb61f.pdf

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02537176231165033  

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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-13889-5  

• World Health Organization “Mental health of adolescents”.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health