Runa Hoque’s 11-year-old daughter was ecstatic when putting on her uniform for the first time in a year and a half when schools reopened in September last year. Little did she know, she would have to put it back in the closet and attend online classes again in a few months.
Runa told Dhaka Tribune that her daughter now gets irritated at everything and keeps asking her and her husband when she can return to the classroom. She said her daughter has even dropped hobbies like painting, which she was once very passionate about.
The disease Covid-19 affects children less severely than the elderly. But children in Bangladesh are bearing the brunt of the pandemic due to the resulting lengthy school closures.
Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed, associate professor at National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital (NIMH), said long-term school closures have an adverse impact on children’s mental health, causing anxiety and depression that may develop into personality disorders in the future.
“Children are not really lagging behind when it comes to studies. The pandemic is having an adverse effect on people across the globe and parents should not force their children to keep pace with the rest of the world,” he told this correspondent.
As the pandemic leaves a negative impact on the mental health of adults, children may be exposed to domestic violence as they cannot go to school and must stay home, he said.
Children have not been getting the chance to socialize at schools for a long time, which is already taking a toll on them, said Dr Helal.
“If their parents act harshly with them [on top of that], it will have grave repercussions,” he added.
“Public health is a great concern now, considering the infection rate, but we need to have a positive outlook to cope with it. Children learnt how to protect themselves during a global health crisis, which is a great lesson. They need to be reminded of that, instead of things like losing school days and time with friends,” said the mental health expert.
No opportunities to socialize with peers
Farjana Islam Dina, who teaches at a school in Dhaka, said the parents of the children at her school keep complaining about their children growing restless at home.
“I think most parents are more concerned about children’s homework and studies than the impact of school shutdowns on their mental health,” she remarked.
“Many of the parents say they have to hand their children electronic devices to keep them occupied and they are getting addicted to those,” said Dina.
“Children need to wake up early, get prepared for school and socialize during breaks when they attend in-person classes. Remote learning is not allowing them to do any of those. Therefore, school shutdowns have a negative impact on their mental health,” she added.
A paper titled “Mental health effects of school closures during Covid-19” published in the international medical journal The Lancet says social distancing measures can result in social isolation in an abusive home, with abuse likely exacerbated during this time of economic uncertainty and stress.
“As the pandemic continues, it is important to support children and adolescents facing bereavement and issues related to parental unemployment or loss of household income. There is also a need to monitor young people's mental health status over the long term, and to study how prolonged school closures, strict social distancing measures, and the pandemic itself affect the wellbeing of children and adolescents.”
The government on Wednesday extended the closure of schools and colleges by two weeks until February 20 in light of the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
The government had shut down educational institutions on March 17, 2020, and after a long time students returned to their classrooms on September 12, 2021. The authorities announced school closures again on January 21 due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
