Strategising for Success: Mental Health in African Education Systems

2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Strategising for Success: Mental Health in African Education Systems

 

The World Health Organization projects that “the prevalence of mental health disorders in so-called sub-Saharan African countries is likely to increase by “130% due to epidemiological and demographic transitions” (Opio et al., 2016).  Further research shows that young people in many African countries between the age of 10-19 years are increasingly becoming depressed and facing anxiety disorders and that 41% face emotional and behavioural problems. Overall, Africa is the leading continent, with 60% of the population below 30 years of age, which is potentially beneficial if it is usefully engaged in development practices to achieve sustainable development goals.

Understanding the myths and cause

Mental health comprises a state of mental well-being that enables or enhances people’s capacities to cope with the stresses of life, adjust accordingly and contribute to the development of their communities. In most African settings, the challenge is that often, there is a lack of affordable mental health services, and there are stigmas around the usage of the term,  denoting that those who experience mental health issues are either ‘insane’ or face external spiritual forces such as witchcraft, curses or satanic powers like in the case of Uganda and Nigeria. This is supplemented by limited education and awareness about the topic to combat related stigma and shaming of people who experience mental health-related challenges. Therefore, education systems in Africa have a role in closing the gap.

First, the missing link in research and practice about mental health in education spaces is that it is gendered and contextual to a given specific society or community. Although there is a general stigma around mental health burden, especially for young people, it also comes with asking pertinent questions on what challenges young people are facing today and how it is impacting their mental health. Structural barriers to finding dignified work besides the youth unemployment challenge in many African countries mean that most youth are stuck in waithood- a process of economic precarity and liminal stage where transitioning into adulthood is hard due to lack of work or inactivity. The above is often unanimous with the term hustling, all in the name of survival. In rural South Africa, for example, youth unemployment and lack of education skills and training have resulted in increased depression and mental distress for the majority of young Black South Africans (Mngoma 2022). Additionally, COVID-19 also exacerbated young people’s exposure to mental health burden in various African countries

Way forward?

Undeniably, education systems in Africa are critical in helping to address the stigma and challenges young people face. This is because school is pivotal in early child learning, where positive habits and coping mechanisms can be instilled early. The Institute for Security Studies advocates that “collective approaches focused on communities or groups are less affected by harmful effects of stigma.” However, education practitioners must deploy an intersectionality approach to mental health solutions by placing within broader causal issues that vary depending on one’s religion, culture, ethnic/racial, age, gender, socioeconomic status, education level and regional dynamics. Finally, there is a need to leverage the role informal social networks play in mitigating mental health burdens since most of us seek immediate help from especially families and friends instead of a mental health care professional due to inaccessibility and affordability issues.

Education systems, whether at the primary, high school or university level, need to adopt new pedagogical frameworks that normalise conversations for students (and teachers) to share and freely express their academic or non-academic struggles. This can be achieved by having trained success life coaches and counsellors who practice reflective and active listening instead of passing judgment to students who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. Educators also need to do research and evaluations on how their learning environments enable transformative teaching practices, equally for boys and girls, taking into consideration that negative social gender constructs have an impact on mental health, especially for girls (and individuals who don’t ascribe to gender structure). Plus, we cannot forget to actively engage parents, cultural and religious leaders and politicians, who have a considerable say in how mental health challenges are addressed in many African societies.

About the author: Ibrahim Bahati is a seasoned senior research consultant, a Life Coach in mental Health and wellness and a member of AEYL, who assists schools and clients in setting achievable goals that foster a strong sense of community well-being.  He currently supports the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the American University of Beirut to achieve a sense of community well-being.


Related Content

Below is all the content from the Learning Space that have the same tags as this event.

advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 5
2024-08-23 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 5
  On this last day of Africa Evidence Week 2024, I reflect on the event and the twelve-year celebration of the Africa Evidence Network (AEN). This year’s objective was to showcase and pr...
Continue Reading
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 4
2024-08-22 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 4
  We hope that you are enjoying Africa Evidence Week 2024 as much as we are! Day four of the 2024 Africa Evidence Week was filled with lots of excitement, imparting of knowledge, and learning....
Continue Reading
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 3
2024-08-21 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Highlights from Africa Evidence Week: Day 3
  Wow, Day 3 has come and gone; how time flies when we are having great conversations and meaningful connections! Just in the past three days, we shared fourteen blog posts, sixteen video...
Continue Reading
Communities of practice as a tool to enhance evidence capacities and collaboration in Africa
2024-08-19 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Communities of practice as a tool to enhance evidence capacities and collaboration in Africa
  The Africa Evidence Network (AEN) established communities of practice (CoPs) to advance its work in 2023. We aim to develop several CoPs that can serve as tools to enhance evidence capa...
Continue Reading
From Environmental Health to Evidence-Based Policy: My Journey in Research and Development
2024-08-16 advocates afew2024 africa evidence week blog informs learns news
From Environmental Health to Evidence-Based Policy: My Journey in Research and Development
  Elise Hirwa Musabimana is a runner-up of the Africa Evidence Leadership Award 2024 in the Emerging Leader Under 35 category offered by the Africa Evidence Network. W...
Continue Reading
Promoting data and evidence use practice in local government: what we are learning from the E4D project in Ghana
2024-08-16 advocates afew2024 africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Promoting data and evidence use practice in local government: what we are learning from the E4D project in Ghana
  Mohammed S. Awal is a runner-up of the Africa Evidence Leadership Award 2024 in the Evidence Producer category offered by the Africa Evidence Network. We asked ...
Continue Reading
Building a Brighter Future Through Evidence: eBASE Africa's Work in Cameroon
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Building a Brighter Future Through Evidence: eBASE Africa's Work in Cameroon
  Cameroon, like many African nations, faces complex social challenges that require innovative solutions. Policymakers need access to reliable data and effective tools to navigate these issues...
Continue Reading
Building small grants programs connected to policies and the needs of practitioners: the experience of the African Center for Equitable Development
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Building small grants programs connected to policies and the needs of practitioners: the experience of the African Center for Equitable Development
  The African Center for Equity Development (ACED) launched the Programme de Petites Subventions de Recherche (PPSR), a pivotal initiative aimed at addressing food security and nutrition (FSN)...
Continue Reading
Capacity Development Program on Integrating Gender and Youth Data in Food Security and Nutrition Interventions in Africa: Use of EIDM approach
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Capacity Development Program on Integrating Gender and Youth Data in Food Security and Nutrition Interventions in Africa: Use of EIDM approach
  Women and youth: essential pillars of African food systems In Africa, women and youth are essential players in Food Security and Nutrition (FSN), contributing to the availability, acces...
Continue Reading
Going Far Together: 4 Highlights about The Africa LEEPS Partnership
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Going Far Together: 4 Highlights about The Africa LEEPS Partnership
Photo: Africa LEEPS partner organizations mapping out a vision for partnership at a launch workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, August 2023 The Africa Learning Together to Advance Evidence and Equity i...
Continue Reading
Les mutuelles de santé et la digitalisation des services de santé dans les pays en développement : Expérience du projet ISPV-Africa au Togo
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Les mutuelles de santé et la digitalisation des services de santé dans les pays en développement : Expérience du projet ISPV-Africa au Togo
  Universal health coverage remains a global concern, particularly in developing countries where health systems have many weaknesses. In 2023, a WHO report1 on universal health coverage indi...
Continue Reading
Multi-Participatory Adapted Mosaic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Listening to the Voices of Children with Disabilities in Nigeria
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Multi-Participatory Adapted Mosaic Framework: A Methodological Approach to Listening to the Voices of Children with Disabilities in Nigeria
  Globally, there has been an increasing trend in the call for incorporating children’s voices and participation in research. This trend can be attributed to the adoption of various inte...
Continue Reading
Mutual health insurance and the digitization of healthcare services in developing countries: Experience of the ISPV- Africa project in Togo
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Mutual health insurance and the digitization of healthcare services in developing countries: Experience of the ISPV- Africa project in Togo
  Universal health coverage remains a global concern, particularly in developing countries where health systems have many weaknesses. In 2023, a WHO report 1on universal health coverage indi...
Continue Reading
Prioritising early learning research in sub-Saharan Africa for equitable learning outcomes
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Prioritising early learning research in sub-Saharan Africa for equitable learning outcomes
  The African Education Research Database (AERD) has been updated with the latest 1,403 publications published between 2021 and 2022. This is as part of the commitment of the Research for Equi...
Continue Reading
Strategising for Success: Mental Health in African Education Systems
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
Strategising for Success: Mental Health in African Education Systems
  The World Health Organization projects that “the prevalence of mental health disorders in so-called sub-Saharan African countries is likely to increase by “130% due to epidemiolo...
Continue Reading
The EPA Center of Excellence: A Catalytic and Innovative Intervention for Evidence-Informed Policymaking (EIP) in Francophone Africa
2024-08-14 advocates africa evidence week blog informs learns news
The EPA Center of Excellence: A Catalytic and Innovative Intervention for Evidence-Informed Policymaking (EIP) in Francophone Africa
  EIP need more and more attention for achieving Sustainable development Africa stands at a decisive crossroads, facing complex and multidimensional challenges that demand informed solutio...
Continue Reading