Delhi govt to conduct study to understand impact of Covid-19 pandemic on school children

New Delhi: 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 Friday. The last two years have been really tough and very stressful for school children. Due to school closure students have been confined to their homes, which is leading to a situation of fear and stress among them, he 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 the study on a large-scale to understand the changes in mental and emotional state of school children in the past two years and what steps can be taken for their well-being," Sisoida, who also holds the education portfolio, said.

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He said along with children, 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 mental and emotional well-being of students in Delhi government schools.

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"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 pandemic,” he said.