THE NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

IMELDA A. MAGTOTO

The school represents a big role in a child’s life, as it takes up most of his/her waking hours. It is where children spend most of their time on, as such it is easy to acknowledge that the formative years of a child’s development will be dealt with within the walls of the school. From the child’s academic progress to his/her social well-being, the school is given the responsibility to handle all of these. Who then, naturally, are the ones expected to take up on this role of nurturing the children? These are the teachers, who serve as leaders, facilitators, counsellors, and disseminators who integrate learning and behavioural development.

Nevertheless, a cloud of doubt and disappointment from the masses has risen over the Department of Education as several public school teachers from different schools in the country has resorted to committing suicide due to the massive workload that the department has instructed teachers to put up with. These cases are indeed a burdening wake-up call to the fault that the public school system thrusts onto its teachers. How will the teachers, who are under a lot of stress because of all the paper works that they are expected to do within the time they spend in school, be able to educate the minds of the children when they themselves are unable to take care of their own work? The pressure to look good among the superiors by doing this extra work precedes the real goal of a teacher, which is to help children learn and grow.

In conformity with the previous statements presented, there should be an increased emphasis on the importance of teachers’ mental health, which includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The effect of depression and anxiety that teachers receive from pressure-ridden work should not be taken lightly, as mental health is as important as one’s physical health, especially as it directly affects the mind and behaviour of the individual. A program for prevention and intervention over these issues should be considered, as it will benefit not only the teachers but the education of the children, and thus the education of the country as a whole. Further research on how to properly address the promotion of mental health in the workplace, along with the right resources and strategies on how to integrate such programs, are highly encour aged.

As the saying goes, “One cannot go back to the past to change what had happened already, but he can do something to change the outcome of the future.” We may not be able to bring back the lives that were sacrificed because of the fault in the public school system, but the Department of Education still has the chance to change the future of teachers by correcting these mistakes in the present. These cases should not be seen as another way to put blame back on the victims. Alternatively, toward this goal of putting priority in mental health promotion, the society as a whole can contribute fully to the effective education of children by helping the teachers in their journey. It is not enough to admit that a fault has been committed, as there must be full cooperation on intending to change the system for the better.

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The author is Teacher II at Camachiles Elementary School