SCHOOLS play a crucial role in aiding struggling students by offering stability, routine, consistency, mental health, and psychological support. Since the pandemic began, students’ anxiety, depression and stress levels have increased. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, some were unable to experience and attend graduation physically, while some were not able to finish the school year. Hence, students expressed regret for missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Over a year of “staggering” lockdown, isolation and uncertainty have caused students’ mental health challenges.
The impact of the pandemic has compelled the Department of Education (DepEd) to find methods for learners to maintain continuous learning despite the threat of COVID-19. As a result, the traditional face-to-face instruction was strictly prohibited. DepEd suggested a variety of alternative modes of instruction: including modular, television/radio-based, blended and online learning. Despite these alternatives, many students report that the COVID-19 pandemic has detrimental effects on their academic performance.
As of this time, given the low number of confirmed cases of Covid-19, one of DepEd’s target solutions is to offer limited face-to-face classes to students. It will require them to adapt to a new learning environment once more. While limited face-to-face learning is generally beneficial to their physical and mental health, adjusting may take some time. The primary strategy for implementing face-to-face learning is to adopt new habits and a new way of life, which will result in the development of a new lifestyle accompanied by the implementation of strict health protocols. However, implementing face-to-face learning after a pandemic is not easy. All parties require adaptation, including teachers, students, parents, and school facilities that support learning. As we progress through the pandemic and return to “normal”, it will be even more critical that the readiness to implement face-to-face classes in schools considers internal and external factors. Internal preparation takes the form of parental and teacher support. In contrast, external preparation requires schools to prepare facilities following health protocol provisions, develop the latest regulations for the school community related to face-to-face learning and establish a School COVID-19 task force as necessary.
Teachers and school personnel play a vital role in assisting with the students return to in-person classroom learning. As teachers, we all have unique needs and coping mechanisms for stressful situations. It is the same for students because some of them have dealt well with restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. While others, coping with all the changes and uncertainty is difficult. Some students will return to school after experiencing varying degrees of stress, anxiety, isolation, and grief. Some may have witnessed an increase in domestic violence. Addressing the mental health preparation for students is one of the primary concerns of the DepEd. That is why teachers must conduct short Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) for the students on their first day of on-site classes. This orientation may be done by listening to their concerns, checking how they are doing and creating school activities to reduce stress and support students’ well-being.
Teachers, administrators, and stakeholders across the country are hard at work rebuilding better educational opportunities for all our students to ensure the prioritization of learners’ well-being and learning continuity even in these trying times. Therefore, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services are essential because they will help learners to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This orientation will help them to be able to adjust their learning processes during this new normal, which will lead them to participate fully and smoothly for this program to be successful.
