As part of the Connect Global Classrooms program, the British Council organized an online conference to discuss how policymakers can identify issues related to mental health and well-being in schools, assess the needs for policy and practice and then apply what they learned to meet the needs of school systems in their countries.
The event brought together ministers of education, policy makers and leading educational practitioners from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and the United Kingdom.
The conference discussed the importance of developing a clear action plan across MENA countries to address mental health and well-being issues for students in schools and the many challenges that students across the region are currently facing since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as extended closures, the inability to communicate clearly, and the lack of mobility and creativity. This causes high levels of tension and pressure among students and the importance of establishing practices that promote mental health and well-being approaches in schools, and the importance of enhancing positivity and adapting to the circumstances and changes imposed by the pandemic, and making students and their families more resilient and resilient. By maintaining hope and optimism, and avoiding negativity, especially in light of the psychological pressures they are going through.
Over the past 18 months, the British Council in the Middle East and North Africa has recognized the need to take into account the mental health and well-being of learners and school communities, and has organized events that seek to promote dialogue and action on this sensitive issue in education. A pilot project has been launched in the Middle East and North Africa to support teachers in implementing mental health and well-being activities in the classroom. These activities have provided essential support to educators in achieving SDG 3 on good health and well-being.
Maysa Dawi, Director of Regional Schools Programs for the Middle East and North Africa at the British Council, commented, “We have held a series of events in the MENA region as part of the Connecting Classrooms program to address children’s mental health and well-being issues and discuss policy and common practice from Middle East, North Africa and the United Kingdom Despite the challenging work environment due to Covid-19 and school closures, the program continues to make a positive contribution to enhancing students ‘self-confidence by applying new teaching practices to increase students’ interest and enjoyment of the learning process.
Connecting the Classrooms is a global program for schools designed to prepare young people for life and work in a global economy. In Egypt, since 2009, the program has supported more than 80,000 teachers in public and private schools, affecting the lives of more than 500,000 students to develop their life skills that young people need to thrive in the twenty-first century. This will help them shape the future for themselves and for future generations and is a partnership between the British Council and the British Foreign and Development Office
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