Key Takeaways
- Pakistan’s children face rising mental health challenges such as stress and anxiety.
- Early signs of mental health issues in students include changes in behavior and learning.
- Mental health education should be integrated into school curricula to improve recognition.
Pakistan’s schools are increasingly recognizing the importance of addressing mental health issues among children and adolescents, according to Ayesha Shahid Mehmood, Assistant Manager for Inclusive and Special Needs Education at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED).
Speaking on World Mental Health Day, Mehmood highlighted that while awareness of mental health has improved, many teachers lack the training to identify early signs of mental health issues.
‘Children may be labelled as uninterested or distracted when they may actually be dealing with other concerns,’ she explained. ‘Teachers need basic knowledge to identify concerns and know when to refer children to professionals.’
Mehmood emphasized that spotting a problem early is a shared responsibility, not just the job of teachers or counsellors. ‘Schools do not need to turn teachers into clinicians to get there,’ she added.
She noted that schools are hiring counsellors, involving parents, and conducting bullying awareness campaigns. However, these efforts are not always sufficient to recognize mental health issues early.
Mehmood outlined several early signs that teachers and school administrators should be trained to recognize, including headaches, sleepiness in class, not attending classes, appearing zoned out, declining grades, feeling scared, avoiding people, 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,’ she said. ‘We had a case where a student had marks on his hand. I recognised them, as did his school counsellor, although the child said they were caused by his cat. Teachers should pay attention to such signs.’
Mehmood also stressed the importance of regular check-ins with homeroom teachers and the involvement of art teachers, as children may open up to them about their mental health.
‘Mental health education is still largely absent from mainstream school curricula in Pakistan,’ she stated. ‘It should be integrated to improve recognition and response to mental health issues.’
She suggested that age-appropriate mental health education could include topics such as identifying signs of mental health issues, understanding the importance of seeking help, and learning coping mechanisms.
Children may be labelled as uninterested or distracted when they may actually be dealing with other concerns.
Ayesha Shahid Mehmood, Assistant Manager for Inclusive and Special Needs Education at AKU-IED
Teachers should pay attention to such signs.
Ayesha Shahid Mehmood, Assistant Manager for Inclusive and Special Needs Education at AKU-IED
