In Bihar, an attempt to address the mental health needs of teachers

Where do they feel greater stress, at home or in school? Are they able to complete the syllabus on time? How does stress impact their teaching? These are some of the questions that the over four lakh teachers in Bihar’s government schools will be asked as part of a mental health survey to be conducted by the end of the month. The State Council of Educational Research and Training has been tasked with this job in response to the growing number of complaints about rising teacher absenteeism and inability to teach the syllabus in time as well as reports of corporal punishment meted out to students.

While the challenges that teachers face, especially in government schools, are well known, any policy that seeks to relieve some of their pressure would require identifying the factors involved.

The Bihar government’s survey is an important step towards that. Teachers have pointed to the demands of non-teaching assignments such as election duty and the conduct of the recent caste survey in the state, as well as the management of the midday meal scheme which all too often keep teachers from doing justice to their primary duties.

Addressing these concerns will ensure that teachers are equipped to perform the demanding job of nurturing young minds. It could also mark a turnaround for a state that has, in the past, benefitted from creative interventions in the field of education:

For example, the 2006 Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana, one of the pet schemes of the Nitish Kumar government, under which girls from Class 9 to 12 were given free bicycles to go to school, resulted in the secondary school enrollment of girls increasing by 30 per cent within a year.

A majority of the students who enroll in government schools belong to socially and economically backward sections of society. It is important that they not only stay in school, but also receive quality education. The role of the teacher in creating the right environment cannot be overlooked . For Bihar — and, indeed , for other states — this is an end worth pursuing . Helping teachers do their jobs better would serve the larger cause of ensuring a better education for the nation’s young — a vision outlined in the National Education Policy, 2020 as well. Not just children — adults in the classroom need the right environment too.