Teacher and Student Well-Being and Mental Health: Equality for Girls’ Access to Learning Project

• In Event: Addressing Teachers’ unmet needs and persistent challenges impacting on their wellbeing in Africa: Education Policy and practices in five Countries

Proposal

A vicious cycle of poverty and conflict has impacted Kasai Central province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), weakening education systems. Inadequate government management of education institutions, teacher strikes for improved working conditions and salaries, limited investments in education service provision, and degraded school structures and disrupted calendars have all destabilized the education system. Conflict has exposed both teachers and students to psychosocial trauma, displacement, exploitation and violence from armed groups. World Vision (WV) recognizes the transformative power of education in promotion of human rights, social inclusion, gender equality and peacebuilding through targeted and strategic investments and interventions. This includes equipping teachers with the skills to deliver gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive learning experiences in the classroom, and addressing students’ learning loss and psycho-social trauma caused by conflict and displacement.

In response to this fragile, post-conflict context, WV, in partnership with Make Music Matter (MMM) and local, provincial and national Education, Gender and Social Service Ministries, implemented the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded Equality for Girls' Access to Learning (EGAL) in Kasai Central province from 2020 to 2023. The project aimed to enhance the agency of girls and reduce barriers that prevent them from accessing quality education by investing in coordinated, quality, gender-responsive and conflict-sensitive education systems, teacher professional development and targeted mental health and psycho-social (MHPSS) well-being interventions, using therapeutic music programming.

This presentation will share findings from EGAL’s final project evaluation, exploring: teachers’ increased capacities in gender-responsive and Teachers in Crisis Contexts (TiCC) pedagogies; positive discipline and peace education training; empathetic communication styles adapted to the post-conflict context; the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) National Complaint Mechanisms for reporting child protection/safeguarding issues and professional complaints such as teachers' salaries, school management or excessive disciplinary measures; and changes in teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and actions in working with marginalized and at-risk children.

Results will also be shared from the Equality for Girls’ Access to Learning (EGAL) 2020-2023 Research Study (Informed International, 2023) conducted on the MHPSS intervention in the project. Measures of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem amongst the girls were examined, as well as changes in mental health and wellbeing measures correlated with access to education. The research study found significant improvements in MHPSS outcomes, providing strong evidence that the participants experienced changes in mental health and well-being outcomes. These improvements were sustained months after program completion, with significantly fewer participants screening positive for depression. This study also identified the connections between teacher well-being and student well-being, noting that lack of teacher pay, motivation, and teacher turnover are all factors that directly affect student anxiety and stress in relation to their education and concern for their futures. It is hoped that this study, combined with the EGAL project findings, will highlight solutions for increasing resilience and agency of teachers and students in conflict-affected contexts.

Author

• Nancy Del Col, World Vision Canada