The suicide of a 16-year-old Indian boy last month shocked UAE residents. It was only the latest in a recent string of student suicides. The incidents have raised alarm bells, with parents and students alike calling for measures to help children cope with stress.
Academic and social pressures can put immense pressure on teenagers. This means that along with parents, teachers and schools too have a critical role to play to help children cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
“A common plan has to be in place to mitigate some of the stress and anxiety in children caused by the fast-paced, 24x7 digitally connected world, in addition to high expectations from parents,” says Chitra Sharma, Principal at JSS Private School Dubai. “Peer pressure and the desire to outdo others and excel beyond one’s limits are significant factors that need to be addressed. What we can do at schools is prepare our children to cope with these pressures. This essentially comes with a basic understanding that each child is unique, with her own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes,” she adds.
Expanded role of schools
Robert Jennings, Secondary School Deputy Principal — Pastoral, Dubai International Academy, acknowledges the important role schools play in helping children develop coping strategies for stressful situations. “The role of the teacher and the functions of schools around the world have changed considerably in recent years. To a large extent the onus is on schools to inform their staff about where the responsibility for care and communication lies, and have properly articulated systems in place to ensure that needs are met.”
Open communication with students provides them with avenues to access support and encouragement and reflect on their own needs. “Within the school setting all team members must create open and approachable surroundings where students can access and self-select staff/teacher members so that the student feels they can build a rapport and share.
“A strong, well-organised and proactive pastoral care system, where communication and management is 360 degrees and includes parents, teachers, students, friends, mentors, senior leadership, external professionals such as doctors and health-care workers, creates a safe and healthy environment for everyone within the school,” suggests Charlotte Venter, Assistant Headteacher, Dubai English Speaking College. However, Mark Atkins, Headmaster of Foremarke School, has another take: “Often it is parents who are to be blamed for the stress that pupils undergo; so parents must be aware of the pressure they place on children.”
Parental involvement
Collaboration and effective communication between parents and teachers are key to improving a student’s performance. Last year the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), the regulating body responsible for overall standards and quality of private education in Dubai, introduced a legally binding Parent School contract at Dubai schools to promote positive relationships and protect the rights of both schools and families.
The contract covers refund and admission policies, school fees, attendance and punctuality, as well as health and safety provision and transportation.
It also addresses parental responsibilities such as providing schools with accurate medical, psychological and educational assessment records.
“The first phase of the contract was rolled out in six schools and received extremely positive feedback,” says Hind Al Mualla, Chief of Engagement at KHDA. “This year the programme has been expanded to include a further 18 schools, taking the total to 24. The contract is an essential tool for developing constructive and cooperative relationships between schools and parents, fully outlining the expectations and responsibilities of both parties.”
For many schools, meetings and conferences are an integral part of operational and developmental identity, and they organise coffee mornings for new parents and governors meetings to consult [issues] regarding school fees and development plans.
Not sages on the stage
Lack of training and low pay scales discourage many skilled professionals from pursuing careers in the education sector. The high turnover rate of experienced professionals aggravates the problem.
“Years of education and training are required to be a qualified teacher, and the pay, especially in Asian schools, is less than what a person in any other profession gets for a part-time job,” says Mini Menon, a former teacher in an Indian school and an education consultant. “The poor pay, added to the extremely high levels of work stress that teachers have, is a major deterrent for most people to follow a career in the education sector of the UAE.”
Besides, most teachers are trained in traditional teaching methods that are no longer relevant in today’s educational scenario. It is only through continual training that teachers can make the necessary attitudinal shift from outdated methods to imbibing contemporary and more practical, student-centric education methods, Menon says.
For instance, Schools of Innoventures Education, an organisation that manages various schools in the UAE, focuses on a more student-led pedagogy, moving the teacher away from the front of the classroom where they are the “sage on the stage” towards being a “guide by the side”, says its Senior Academic Advisor, James Roberts.
Atkins also emphasises on the need for high-quality training for teachers in the UAE. “Training through organisations such as the British Schools of the Middle East is valuable. I would like to see the establishment of teacher training centres in the [region] to take good-quality graduates and train them well. This would help raise standards across the region.”
Collaborative work with other schools in the UAE and other countries can help teachers discuss their challenges on various platforms and come up with effective solutions. “E-forums, webinars and web conferences also help teachers update their skills,” says Sharma.
Teaching digital natives
Children are now exposed to the digital world early in life. With access to information 24x7, they find textbooks and passive lectures monotonous. Experts suggest educators should adapt their teaching styles to the digital generation.
“Understanding the digital native generation is the first challenge teachers face when considering digital technology in the classroom,” says Chris Vizzard, Deputy Headteacher, DESC. “This is a generation who crave connectivity and are already experts in more areas of technology that we, as adults, can only imagine. The digital natives feel, act and react differently and their needs, and skills are much more diverse.”
To teach children in the digital world, teachers must be on top of the game and must keep themselves up to date with applications that can be used in the classroom. “Teachers must have a passion to integrate technology in the classroom and have a vision to improve the learning experiences for their students,” says Hitesh Bhagat, Head of Department — Technology and MYP Assessment Coordinator, Dubai International Academy. “Schools integrating technology into the curriculum require a network facility with firewalls and user agreements in place so that children are safe when browsing the internet.”
Innoventures has Wi-Fi-enabled campuses. It has also introduced the Bring Your Own Devices policy, which lets students bring the device of their choice to school and use it to improve their learning experience.
Educators emphasise that future learning cannot possibly continue without the integration of technology and digital media. “However, as with any tool, users need to understand how to interact with it properly and to follow a few rules to get the most from it, but also to protect themselves and those around them. This education and self-awareness process about cyber safety extends to parents as well as young people,” explains Vizzard.
