The Delhi government will conduct a large-scale survey to understand the impact of the COVID pandemic on the psychological and emotional behaviour of school children, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on January 21.
The last two years have been very stressful for school children because of prolonged school closure, Sisodia said. "It is important to understand their mental state, to bring them back to the normal situation. In view of this, we have decided to conduct a study on a large-scale to understand the changes in the mental and emotional state of school children in the past two years and what steps can be taken for their well-being," Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said.
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The minister said the study will also focus on analysing the "changes in parenting style, psychological and emotional state of parents, as children have spent most of their time during lockdown with them, in the past two years". Teachers have also seen many changes in their routine and teaching styles, the minister noted. "This survey will analyse this aspect too. Since happiness is a holistic process, it is important to understand the mental state of each and every person in students' lives," he added.
Sisodia said that the Happiness Curriculum has played an important role in maintaining the mental and emotional well-being of students in Delhi government schools. "With the help of this study and help from experts, we will modify the Happiness Curriculum by introducing new chapters, stories and activities, so that students can learn to be stress-free in challenging situations like the pandemic," he said.
