By Andrew Walyaula
waliaulaandrew0@gmail.com
Over the past few Months the press has been awash with stories of unrest in schools in, where students burned and destroyed property.
The incidents sparked conversations across the country, blaming various issues for the schools unrest.
Some of the issues debated both in public and private forums include indiscipline and inability to tolerate some decisions.
Despite the security organs being in the process of establishing the exact causes and the origin of this menace, some health and communication experts have highlighted possible causes and solutions to the dubious behaviors among the students.
Henry Indindi, a communication expert, lecturer, and former high school teacher points out inability to manage pressure of life as a key factor to unrest in schools.
“Students need to be reminded that even the other family members are undergoing even much pressure in fending for them, and that has never resulted into burning down homesteads,” he says.
He says that it is unimaginable and regrettable that at times these heinous acts emanate from meals and desire to be fed on particular diets despite the fact that it is even difficult for some homesteads to afford such like diets. Therefore, according to him, it is hard for the struggling society such as schools to provide for such.
Mr Indindi also claims that the students are unable to see the value of education they are subjected to.
“They see teachers as subjecting them to content whose relevance is not guaranteed in the job market.”
Besides, he observes that parents have failed to bring children in developing institution. For instance, the church is dead, family is dead, policy and governance lack morally and upright persons who can be emulated, and schools seem unfulfilling.
Thus, he advises the rejuvenation of the partnership among the child development and parenting institutions, where vices and ills are corrected rather than tolerated.
“From the family level, children must be taught to respect other people’s property; and learn to handle pressure of life,” he advises.
The President of the Kenya Psychiatric Association Chitayi Murabula says increased awareness on mental health is also important, mostly, among the parents, caregivers, and teachers who spend a lot of time with students.
“Knowing all about the conditions in terms of prevention, symptoms, or management is important so young people can get the help they need early enough before things become serious,” she notes.
She observes that amid the pandemic, the concerns about increasing students’ depression have been widespread.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide, which is often associated with mental health is now the second-leading cause of adolescent deaths.
“There is definitely a high need for screening given the growing incidents of unmet mental health need among school students,” Dr Sekhar says.
This follows a study published in JAA Network Open Journal, which indicates that cascading mental health screening to schools can also go along way with averting challenges linked to the condition.
The research emphasizes that the approach will be efficient in ensuring that the affected children receive required care in good time.
“Overall, students who received universal screening were twice as likely to begin treatment compared to their peer who did not receive this screening,” the research by US-based Penn State College of Medicine reveals.
Importantly, studying depression symptoms is also key. The symptoms are likely to propel the affected to harm themselves or others, as a result, destroying properties around them.
Murabula states that because most of the children and teenagers are enrolled in public education, screening in schools can be a more effective approach to identifying and treating depression.
“Depending solely on doctors and other medical professionals to stop depression isn’t sufficient. So, we need to increase the number of people who can do it as this will make it easier to reach as many children as possible.”
