The Centre's mental health survey shows school students face anxiety about exams, with results

According to a poll published by the government of India on Tuesday, the majority of Indian secondary school pupils’ mental health deteriorated over that time.

According to the poll, most students “frequently experienced enjoyment and expressed contentment” with school life. However, this number fell as students progressed through the grades because of worry related to tests, academics, and outcomes. According to the most recent National Crime Records Bureau estimate, nearly 13,000 students committed suicide in India last year.
Between January and March 2022, the Manodarpan cell, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Department of Educational Psychology, and the Department of Foundations of Education conducted a mental health survey to learn more about how students in classes six through twelve felt about their mental health.

The survey results are based on 3.79 lakh student answers from 36 states and Union Territories. Along with a number of other efforts, the centre also issued the survey during Shikshak Parv. To honour the teachers and carry out the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Shikshak Parv is observed. This is the first study the Center has carried out to evaluate students’ mental health throughout India since the pandemic began. Millions of children were directly impacted by significant changes to the educational system, including extended school closures, online learning, modifications to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) tests, and delays in exams and results.

To provide psychosocial support to students and teachers during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond, the education ministry launched Manodarpan was launched in 2020. Later in 2021, a parliamentary panel also highlighted the need to assess the impact of the pandemic outbreak on school students.

The results of the poll also revealed that students are using yoga, meditation, and journaling as coping techniques for stress and anxiety. In addition, a thorough guide for identifying mental health problems in school-age children was published. The manual is designed to give teachers, counsellors, and other stakeholders practical training. The handbook was developed over the course of numerous discussions held by a group led by mental health and life skills specialist Jitendra Nagpal.