How mental health affects girls’ education

3 students and activists Anya, Gargi and Paballo explore the intersectional relationship between girls’ education and their mental health.

The lack of girls’ education and the mental health crisis are two of the most pressing and relevant issues in our society today. We live in a world where 130 million girls are denied the basic right to education, and nearly 800 million people suffer from mental health issues. Although poor emotional health/well-being can qualify as a deterrent to higher numbers of girls in schools, increased mental health resources can actually boost the well-being of students who already have access to education.

When stressed, students tend to be too burned out to participate in social activities and complete assignments. They start procrastinating and falling behind in class, leading to an endless cycle of exhaustion, stress, and postponement. A survey from YouthTruth in 2022 found that over 50% of students in each high school grade cited depression, stress, and anxiety as obstacles to learning. When the burden of school mentally challenges students, their incentive to stay educated gradually diminishes, emphasising the importance of mental health in encouraging school attendance.

According to a research study, Canadian secondary school students believe lower depression and higher psychosocial well-being scores are associated with better education behaviors. Likewise, better education behaviors were associated with higher course grades, whereas reduced class attendance and poor homework adherence were linked with poor mental health. 

This struggle is especially pressing for female students, who are often forced to break stereotypes in male-dominated fields or classrooms. Several male students — and even teachers — often belittle their female counterparts or make misogynistic dabs at their intelligence. Not only do these factors make education environments uncomfortable for women (which can then discourage girls’ education), but they are also additional burdens for females, in addition to the aforementioned issues caused by the lack of mental health resources. 

“It is always a challenge to have an optimistic attitude because we all feel like we are sinking”

— Paballo Peege

Even though school can often be stressful, having professional resources to counteract that stress can be beneficial. These resources begin with — but are not limited to — providing guidance counsellors and integrating more mental health literacy programs into curriculums.

“In my school, there is a Guidance and Counseling office that students can turn to if they want to talk to an adult about their home life, school pressure or anything else. There are also mood meters and other colorful posters throughout our hallways, reinforcing positive messages and affirmations,” Anya shares.

“In my school, there are resources like those at Anya's, as well as periodical informative seminars. Efforts like these that the school takes to care for students' well-being are so crucial, as even small steps taken in adversity can have a large impact,” Gargi shares. 

While these steps are great, many students still report feeling constantly overwhelmed, anxious and stressed. Moreover, Mental health resources are often unequally distributed across different schools, depending on their location and financial means. Even in areas where the resources are available, stigmas surrounding mental health often make it less comfortable for students to reach out when they are struggling.

“In my school, there aren’t any official guidance counselors, often leaving students feeling unsupported. The school’s simultaneously demanding academic environment forces us students to develop our own self-management skills while managing our anxious/overwhelming feelings. It is always a challenge to have an optimistic attitude because we all feel like we are sinking,” Paballo shares.

“It’s important for institutions and governments to implement more policies, allocate more funding for mental health and lift education bans where applicable. Schools also need to be more receptive to students needs and solutions.”

— Paballo, Anya, Gargi

In addition to the many lives lost around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the severity of the mental health crisis. The lockdown and resulting transformation to a solely digital world further diminished people’s mental health — especially students who had to attend hours of online school every day. For example, 48% of young adults experienced mental health symptoms and among those, 36% reported having unmet mental health needs and/or counselling or therapy. This is why we need to have mental health resources accessible in schools or near campus.

Because we had to isolate and limit our access to public spaces due to the pandemic, creating personalised self-care routines was important to look after ourselves with limited resources. There are many ways that we have personally tried to take care of our mental health. These include practicing mindfulness, journaling, opening up about our emotions, consulting friends/family, spending time doing what we love and seeking help when we need to. “I often went on walks with my family (socially distanced, of course!) and frequently went on Zoom calls with my friends and extended family, in an effort to take care of my mental health,” Anya recalls. When we take care of ourselves, we can help ourselves and others to a greater extent.

“I would journal a lot and create playlists with all my favourite music to listen to whenever I needed to lift my mood,” Paballo chimes in.

“I tried to stay in touch with friends while being isolated at home, took on journaling and activism and explored possible new hobbies to keep myself engaged. I also made some brilliant online friends during the pandemic (ensuring my cyber safety, of course),” Gargi adds.

Mental health is not just necessary for good academic performance — it's critical for ensuring our overall well-being. Poor mental health can lead to several cognitive issues like anxiety, clinical depression and self-harm urges, resulting in decreased physical health, social life and work/academic performance. Prolonged stress is said to be one of the major risk factors for suicide attempts. Mental health struggles can lower students’ motivation, making them easily distracted and more likely to procrastinate. As a result, it negatively impacts their school performance. As their academic progress halts, their mental health further declines, again casting light on this dangerous and inevitable cycle if help isn't provided on time.

On a similar note, many students today tend to be more worried for their futures due to several political, environmental and social reasons. As a result, many of them have gotten involved in activism, making sure to voice their opinions on important and relevant topics like these. While activism is so important and has the potential to make a wide impact, the distress that comes with this role and the corresponding mental strain they have from fighting for their rights can also become overwhelming. 

What matters the most are the solutions we need to implement to solve this problem. Here are some ways to help:

1. Ensure a better work/school environment.

2. Become educated about mental health and girls’ education.

3. Educate others about the correlation between mental health and education, and make sure that information spread is from reliable and professional sources.

4. Show support through fundraisers and organisations working for mental health advocacy or ensuring quality education for all. These include Malala Fund, the Obama Foundation, UNICEF and Sahar Education.

While the number of mental health resources has been increasing in recent years, we need more. Institutions and governments need to implement more policies, allocate more funding for mental health and lift education bans where applicable. Schools also need to be more receptive to students' needs and solutions so that we can create a better atmosphere for students' mental well-being.