By Staff Reporters
Johannesburg - The Covid-19 pandemic and the recent unrest has spiked the number of teachers and pupils suffering from post-traumatic stress and the concern is that they are not getting any help.
Across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal pupils still live in fear a month after the unrest and looting gripped the two provinces. It is a fear that has left some unable to sleep or focus on their studies.
One grade 12 pupil described how they felt in an interview with educational psychologist Logan Govender.
“The work is hard. Covid has already caused loss of so much time and stress. I don’t concentrate. I am nervous our school may be burnt down even while we are in class.”
Another learner expressed fear of taking the school bus, because someone might burn it.
This, as an interviewee recalled how, hearing the gunshots and seeing the thick smoke during the unrest, left a lasting impression.
“Now we don’t sleep at night. We sit and keep guard,” the pupil said.
But little help has been provided for these pupils and teachers, says the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa).
Basil Manuel, chairman of Naptosa said the organisation was deeply concerned by the lack of effort by the Department of Education.
Manuel said that Naptosa had previously engaged with the department over the issue.
“Naptosa suggested that they need to be work-shopping the teachers in these schools a little more to deal with the trauma of children, but the department is failing miserably in its task to assist schools where teachers, children, and principals have gone through various levels of trauma,” he said.
“We are concerned that the post-traumatic trauma that we will see in the coming months and coming years will be with us if we don't do something urgently.”
KwaZulu Natal was the province most severely impacted by the looting and unrest, with hundreds of schools being targeted.
In Gauteng, around 11 schools were affected by the looting.
Manuel, who this week visited a wide range of schools in Phoenix, Chatsworth, Umbumbulu and Pietermaritzburg, in Kwazulu-Natal, said teachers and students are now fearful of going into school everyday.
“Naptosa is desperately concerned at the reports of trauma, fear, concern, and anxiety that we are getting from various parts of the country, particularly where teachers, learners and the community have seen large scale looting, violence etc,” he said.
“They come to school worried about what is happening at home, they come to school worried about their safety.”
A source in state education also said psychological services were thin on the ground.
“There are too few people able to go out there and provide the psychological support that is needed.”
Elijah Mhlanga, the spokesman for the Department of Basic Education agreed that there was a shortage of psychologists, but this is a problem across all of South Africa.
He added that the Covid-19 pandemic was currently making it difficult to address the problem of trauma within schools.
"In 2016, when 32 schools were burned down in Vuwani, Limpopo, we brought in different groups, psychologists, social development, and other departments to come do different activities and deal with the trauma and normalise the situation. The difference is that we have Covid now, so we can’t have gatherings and activities."
Govender, who is the former chief education specialist of special needs education said that pupils, even at the best of times, are under immense pressure in the face of curriculum demands.
“Now, additionally, they have to cope with a convoluted Covid-19-adjusted time-table, and also try to cope with the impact that the recent mayhem has caused. Certainly a heavy load for young shoulders to bear.”
Govender warned that if PTS remains unchecked, it could, after four weeks or so, “graduate” into Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric condition requiring a professional diagnosis.
Advocacy group Equal Education say they too, are deeply concerned about the mental health of learners and teachers.
Researcher Stacey Jacobs explained that Equal Education conducted a survey of 44 parents in June this year, before the unrest, to establish the emotional and physical impact that pupils experience when they do not have access to meals provided by the The National School Nutrition Programme during the pandemic.
“Parents described how their children experienced increased stress and confusion, were unable to concentrate, which led to anxieties about school work, and experienced low moods where their families also struggled to provide food.”
Jacobs added that in another study done in June last year, 46.8% of the 252 surveyed pupils said that they had no one at school to speak to about their feelings and about their schooling and home challenges.
“Of great concern to us was that 51.4% of respondents said that when they returned to school, no one explained to them how they can get help if they are feeling sad or scared.”
In order to improve South African youngster’s mental healths exacerbated by the coronavirus and the social unrest, Equal Education believes that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the nine provincial education departments should ensure that all Covid-19 non-negotiables are in place so that schools can safely remain open.
Jacobs said that they should also work collaboratively with relevant departments such as social development and health to facilitate adequate access to psychosocial support and referrals to professional support services.
“The DBE and provinces should also provide teacher training programmes to appropriately prepare teachers to support learners in the context of Covid-19 and to help teachers identify and provide first-level psychosocial support in the classroom,” Jacobs said.
She also urged parents to contact their child’s teacher or a school official to ensure that their children receive the help that they need and that they familiarise themselves with the resources made available by provincial education departments.
“For example, the Western Cape Education Department has developed and launched a comprehensive website on psychosocial support services, that includes their Guideline on Psychosocial Support that was developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“This guideline consolidates important information on how the referral system works.”