AKU-IED’s Ayesha Shahid Mehmood on Why Schools Must Move From Mental Health Awareness to Action

Pakistan's children and adolescents are dealing with rising levels of stress, anxiety, bullying and social pressure, and schools are often where the first signs show up.

Key points

• Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.
• Third, schools should create regular opportunities to discuss wellbeing, particularly beyond the early years, through Mental Health Days or Weeks, activities, discussions, and creative expression.
• Add as a preferredSource on Google Follow on Google News Join WhatsApp.
• Plenty of matters are already discussed throughout subjects, such as pollution in Social Studies and social and global matters in Literature.
• Nevertheless, highly criteria-based subjects like Arts can limit students' opportunities for free expression and create unnecessary pressure.

To mark World Mental Health Day, ProPakistani spoke with Ayesha Shahid Mehmood, Assistant Manager for Inclusive and Special Needs Education (ISNE) at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). Drawing on her experience in education, she explains how schools can recognise warning signs early, why teachers need training built around their actual classroom reservations, and how parents, counsellors and administrators can share responsibility for student wellbeing instead of leaving it all to one person.

She additionally covers what age-appropriate mental health education could look like, how an effective referral pathway should work, and three changes schools can commence making right away. Her central point is that spotting a difficulty early is a shared responsibility, not a job for teachers or counsellors alone, and that schools do not need to turn teachers into clinicians to secure there.

Pakistan's children and adolescents are facing growing reservations around stress, anxiety, bullying, social pressures and other mental-health challenges. From your experience in education, how well equipped are our schools today to recognise these reservations at an early stage?

Greater awareness has encouraged more open discussion regarding mental health, and schools are hiring counsellors, involving parents, and conducting bullying awareness campaigns. Nevertheless, worries are still not always recognised early.

Children may be labelled as uninterested or distracted when they may actually be dealing with other reservations. Although teachers are becoming more aware of ADHD and autism, limited training can create mental health challenges harder to recognise.

Teachers need basic knowledge to identify reservations and know when to refer children to professionals. While the whole school team, including parents, shares responsibility for children's mental wellbeing, counsellors should communicate effectively with teachers.

Schools are often the first places where changes in a child's behaviour, learning, attendance or social interactions may become visible. What signs should teachers and school administrators be trained to recognise as feasible indicators that a student may be struggling with their mental health?

Early signs can include headaches, sleepiness in class, not attending classes, appearing zoned out, declining grades, feeling scared, avoiding individuals, spending excessive time in the washroom, shivering, or unexplained physical marks. Other signs may include vomiting, feeling unusually hot, sweating unnecessarily, or constantly moving their legs.

We had a case where a student had marks on his hand. As did his school counsellor, although the child remarked they were caused by his cat, I recognised them. Teachers should pay attention to such signs.

Children may additionally open up to art teachers, so their essays and drawings should not be ignored. Regular check-ins with homeroom teachers are significant.

Mental-health education is still largely absent from mainstream school curricula in Pakistan. What would age-appropriate mental-health education look like at different stages of a child's schooling, and how could it be integrated without adding another burden to an already crowded curriculum?

Plenty of matters are already discussed throughout subjects, such as pollution in Social Studies and social and global matters in Literature. Mental health can similarly be incorporated into the curriculum as an significant concern.

Nevertheless, highly criteria-based subjects like Arts can limit students' opportunities for free expression and create unnecessary pressure. Since individuals think and express themselves differently, mental health topics should be introduced according to age. For younger children, circle time, awareness videos, poems, worksheets, and activities around emotions can support. Older students can engage through social stories, skits, group sessions, guest speakers, projects, and visits to mental health organisations to broaden perspectives and reduce stigma.

There is often a misconception that bringing mental health into the classroom means teaching children regarding mental illness. How can schools instead employ social and emotional learning to assist children develop skills such as emotional regulation, resilience, empathy, communication and healthy relationships?

Mental health is not only regarding discussing difficulties; it is additionally concerning improving wellbeing. Morning greeting time and regular conversations with students can support teachers understand what is happening in their lives beyond academics. Schools can additionally dedicate an extra hour each week to activities involving both teachers and students. Meanwhile, schools should recognise that educators come from different backgrounds and may have their own challenges. Providing counselling services for teachers is significant so they can backing children effectively. As it is remarked on planes, you should take care of your own safety first so that you can assist others. The same principle applies to educators.

Teachers are not mental-health professionals, yet they are often adults who spend the most time with children. What kind of training and backing do teachers need to identify worries, respond appropriately and know when a child needs professional support?

Teachers are not mental health professionals, but those who create safe spaces often become the individuals the whole school turns to. It can become overwhelming. Schools should first conduct a needs assessment with teachers to understand the specific reservations they face. While older students may face bullying, harassment, low self-confidence, or social anxiety, early years teachers may accord with behavioural matters such as hitting, spitting, or inappropriate language.

Training should be developed according to these needs since one training cannot address everyone's worries. As one day may not be enough, schools should involve relevant professionals and provide follow-up sessions. While clinical psychologists can support with anxiety-related matters, behaviour therapists or professionals trained in Applied Behaviour Analysis can backing behaviour-related worries.

What role should school leaders, counsellors and administrators play in creating a school environment where children feel safe discussing emotional or psychological difficulties? What institutional changes are needed beyond simply appointing a school counsellor?

For context, a backing system cannot work in isolation. Schools should be open to discussing reservations and provide training based on the difficulties teachers face and the reservations students bring to them. Students may approach administrators with different reservations and counsellors with others, so matters should be referred to the appropriate person when needed. Everyone in the school hierarchy should feel accessible to students.

While schools need rules, consequences, and firmness, they should additionally provide a safe environment where education, character development, and mental wellbeing can develop together. Coordination among the entire school staff is essential. Movies like Hichki and Dead Poets Society provide good examples of educators going beyond the classroom.

Stigma can prevent children from speaking regarding anxiety, depression, bullying or other difficulties and can additionally create parents reluctant to seek professional assist. How can schools involve parents and families in building a more open and informed approach to children's mental health?

Mental health stigma is created and reinforced within society, partly since mental health worries are often invisible and receive less attention. An informed approach should commence with a needs assessment of the school community, considering different social backgrounds and types of stigmas. Families may respond differently to a child's condition, including treating the child differently or facing challenges with social acceptance. Awareness should therefore be tailored to the community. Schools can involve parents through awareness and activity-based sessions, parent committees, counselling, mothers' yoga, and connections with therapists. Positive reinforcement for participation can create a ripple effect and encourage supportive attitudes.

Schools should not be projected to diagnose or treat mental-health conditions. What would an effective referral pathway look like in Pakistan, from a teacher noticing a concern, to school-level backing, parental involvement and, where necessary, assessment and care by a qualified mental-health professional?

As different residents observe different aspects of the same child, the first concern should be understood by all teachers and backing staff. For example, in Taare Zameen Par, Ishaan struggled not only with reading and writing but additionally with tying his tie, shoelaces, and getting to school on time, showing difficulties with executive functioning. The concern can then be discussed with the coordinator to identify appropriate accommodations and review their effectiveness. Parents should additionally be involved to share the child's performance at home. If professional backing is needed, appropriate assessment should be conducted, followed by an individualised plan with suitable accommodations and modifications.

In practice, the World Health Organization recognizes school-based social and emotional learning programs as an effective approach to promoting mental health and recommends mental-health backing in non-health settings such as schools. What lessons can Pakistan draw from this approach, and what would it take to adapt it meaningfully to our own educational and cultural context?

Social learning programmes are being implemented in early years, preschool, and primary classes, but there is less focus on secondary years and children above age seven. Mental health reservations may not be highly visible at ages four or five, but they often commence emerging after age seven. Therefore, the approach should extend to this age group. Schools could introduce a separate hour for mental health and wellbeing, just as they offer attention to other activities during the week. Mental Health Days or Mental Health Weeks could additionally be introduced, with different activities conducted to engage students and promote awareness.

If you could identify three practical changes that Pakistani schools could commence implementing immediately to better backing the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents, what would they be-and what should schools avoid doing despite having good intentions? I would identify three practical changes for Pakistani schools.

First, schools should conduct needs assessments and provide relevant training. Every age group and classroom has different reservations, so training should reflect teachers' actual needs. Teachers should recognise early signs, respond appropriately, and know when to involve a counsellor or relevant professional, without being projected to act as mental health professionals.

Second, schools should establish regular communication and check-ins. Morning greeting time, homeroom check-ins, and conversations beyond academics can support teachers understand what is happening in a child's life. Parents should additionally be involved to share how the child is doing at home.

Schools should avoid one-size-fits-all approaches and placing the entire responsibility on the counsellor. Most importantly, they should avoid labelling or blaming children and instead focus on understanding their reservations and providing appropriate backing. Stay Connected with ProPakistani. Obtain the latest news and stories wherever you prefer. Follow on Google Discover.

For now, aKU-IED's Ayesha Shahid Mehmood on Why Schools Must Move From Mental Health remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.