Greater mental health care should be given to students during online learning: Experts

HCM City (VNA) – Greater attention should be paid to mental health care for pupils and students amid prolonged online learning due to COVID-19 impacts, according to experts.

Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Nguyen Du high school in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 10 said that learning online over a long time has affected both physical and mental health of students.

Along with negative effects on the eyes, spine and respiratory system, students have suffered from a lack of interaction and bonds with their classmates and teachers, he added.

Meanwhile, Duong Tri Dung, Vice Director of the city Department of Education and Training said that the education sector has made it an important task to provide students with psychological consultations and support in the current period, with various activities launched right at the beginning of the school year, focusing on training teachers on giving psychological assistance to students.

Schools have built their own plan to care for students’ mental health, helping those suffering psychological trauma overcome difficulties, said Dung.

A survey by the Vietnam National University-HCM City on COVID-19 impacts on students’ mental health, which covers more than 37,000 college and university students, showed that among pressures facing students, the pressure from online learning is the strongest.

Students tend to worry about learning equipment and become stressful about safety against COVID-19, as well as tuition fee and family conflicts, it said. Notably, 48 percent of students engaging in the survey confessed that they feel low self-esteem and ambiguity about their life purpose during the pandemic.

Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, a member of the research team, said that the pandemic has worsened mental health problems and pressure among students. The research team recommended that education facilities should apply measures such as creating mental health care services, giving financial support to needy students, organising exchange activities for them and encouraging them to join community work./.