Provide students with psychological support

Digital dependency, which has increased during the pandemic, is breeding isolation and loneliness among students.

Prof Nehal Ahmed Chair of Dhaka Education Board

Students returning to schools following 18 months of closure should be provided with proper mental health support to reintegrate them into the classrooms, academics said yesterday.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to the daily life of students, their study habits have been significantly affected, which necessitates the additional care, they added.

Schools need to transform the way they monitor their students to facilitate those suffering from mental health issues.

Syed Mizanur Rahman DIU head of General Educational Development Department

The speakers made these observations at a workshop titled "Learning Gap Mitigation and Psychosocial Support for Students in Post Covid-19 Education System" organised by Daffodil International University (DIU) at its permanent campus.

DIU's head of general educational Development Department Syed Mizanur Rahman said as many students have been ravaged by mental health issues, "We [educational institutions] will need to do a lot to support them."

"Schools need to transform the way they monitor their students to facilitate those suffering from mental health issues," Mizanur said.

Dhaka Education Board chair Prof Nehal Ahmed said digital dependency, which has increased during the pandemic, is breeding isolation and loneliness among students.

Calling teachers the artisans of the nation, DIU pro vice-chancellor Professor SM Mahbub-ul-Haq Majumder urged teachers to step up in this hour of need.

Among others, Dhaka Education Board controller of examinations Prof SM Amirul Islam; college inspector Prof Abu Taleb Md Moazzem Hossain; school inspector Prof Mohammed Abul Mansur Bhuiyan also spoke at the workshop.

Around 100 college principals from different districts0 attended the programme.