Strengthening Education Sector Reponses, Systems, Policies and Practices for quality Mental Health and Psychosocial Support interventions for teachers in Africa

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

Proposal

With the advent of the covid19 pandemic, UNESCO IICBA conducted a study in 2020 and 2021 on the Psychosocial Impact of the pandemic on Teachers, Teacher Educators, and Learners. The study also assessed the Systemic gaps and needs with the perspective of understanding the prevalence, and the key triggers on the MHPSS for teachers in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries.
The study indicated that depression was affecting 31.0% of teachers and 33.0% of educators while anxiety affects 24.6% of teachers and 25.5% of educators. Stressed also affected 20.8% of teachers and 19.9% of educators. another study done by UNESCO IICBA (2021) in Kenya revealed that poor pay and low renumeration at 73.2% of secondary School teachers and 69.7% of educators was one of the major triggers of stress.
Although mental health and well-being have received increasing recognition following COVID-19, persistent challenges continue to exist within the education sector. Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence concerning the interconnectedness of education, health, and well-being. Yet, the most common themes around health and education in national policies remain limited to school nutrition, sexuality education, and physical education. According to WHO (2021) , school based MHPSS are available in only 72 out of 142 countries (51%), of which 70% are in high-income countries.
In the Transforming Education Summit in 2022, countries called for schools and other learning environments to become more responsive to the teachers and learners, mental health, and psychosocial well-being. This can be done through long-term and sustainable MHPSS policies, strategies, and services, taking teachers and educators as first line stakeholders.
Since 2020, UNESCO-IICBA has been partnering with the Regional Office for Southern Africa to build resilience and strengthen psychosocial support for Teachers and Teacher Educators in selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries. The project is anchored within the framing of UNESCO’s Africa program which focuses on “Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future” (O3). Since then, the program has supported; a) The generation of evidence through conducting a comprehensive regional level assessment b) the development of a contextualized sub-regional strategy in collaboration focused on strengthening MHPSS for teachers and c) development of an evidence based MHPSS Manuals. To contextualise the guide and the framework strategies, the guide been piloted, regional and country level trainings have been undertaken in Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda with the leadership of Ministries of Education, teacher unions and non-governmental organisation and the Ministry of Health. 250 education policy makers, teachers, school leaders and teacher educators trained. Country efforts have also included setting up systemic mechanisms for creation of safe counselling environments for teachers, development of school-based guidelines and counselling protocols, non-specialized support, and referral mechanisms to specialized support.

Author

• Eyerusalem Azmeraw Melese, UNESCO IICBA