Psychosocial Support for Learners – Alapan 1 Elementary School
The Department of Education (DepEd) will provide mental health and psychosocial support services for learners, teachers, and other personnel before classes formally start on August 24.
Undersecretary Jesus Mateo made the announcement in an online press briefing on Oplan Balik Eskwela-Brigada Eskwela (OBE-BE) on July 8, explaining it will be done mostly during the first week of classes for School Year (SY) 2020-2021 to ensure that learners and teachers are provided with mental and psychosocial support services to help them cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted the services will be offered online with face-to-face interaction still prohibited. On July 2, DepEd conducted an orientation for regional and school division offices on mental health and psychosocial support services in time of COVID-19 for DepEd personnel.
The online orientation is aimed to establish the importance of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) interventions, identify the MHPSS activities of DepEd and provide guidance to local DepEd offices in the implementation of MPHSS activities.
DepEd, in its guidelines on required health standards in basic education, said that protection and promotion of the mental health and general welfare of all learners and personnel is among the priorities of the agency at this time.
Among the interventions include the discussion and facilitation of modules related to mental health, the operationalization of a guidance office in every school to provide basic mental health services to learners and personnel, and the establishment of counseling services through a hotline in the school division offices.
Based on the School Calendar for SY 2020-2021, DepEd noted that days prior to the formal school opening will be used to provide learners with assignments to explore foundational topics for deepening during the year, orientation on the utilization of alternative learning delivery modalities, and corresponding learners’ materials, and mental health and psychosocial support activities.
These pre-opening activities devoted to the attainment of the learning objectives for the school year shall also be counted as class days.