Mental Well-being of School Students: Voices from Field for Teachers as Facilitators

Abstract

Mental well-being is an important catalyst in students' holistic development. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 reiterates this and has visioned a transformative education system that encourages nurturing among students 21st-century skills, along with the competencies of being empathic, resilient, and compassionate besides developing high cognitive capacities. School-going years in students' lives are a crucial phase when they go through development in domains of physical, cognitive, psychomotor, and most importantly socio-emotional. These developments are shaped by interactions in their physical, emotional, and social environment and contribute to their ability to perform optimally in academic life, maintain healthy relationships with self and others as part of their personal and social life, and develop an overall sense of satisfaction towards' ones' life. Having a state of mental well-being is important to achieve this goal. The supportive role of teachers plays a pivotal role in nurturing this state of positive mental well-being in students. Hence, it is important for teachers of school-going students to recognize, understand, and engage proactively in promoting mental well-being among students, especially after the COVID- 19 pandemic. As leaders in classrooms, teachers can play the role of effective facilitators in bringing all students together and collaborating as partners in supporting and strengthening their mental well-being. The present article based on the findings of the mental health survey of school students conducted by Manodarpan Cell, NCERT (2022) attempts to identify such aspects that may help teachers to play their role as facilitators in promoting and strengthening students' mental well-being.