Ministry of Education has launched a programme to train school teachers in providing psychological first aid to students.
The education ministry said the training programme is conducted in collaboration with the Maldivian Red Crescent (MRC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The ministry revealed 407 teachers have been provided training under the programme, adding the aim is to provide psychological first aid training to over 11,000 school teachers across the country.
The training programme was launched with the objective of helping students overcome the psychological distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Noting teachers would be the first to meet and speak with the students when schools reopen in July, the ministry said the aim of the programme is to ensure teachers are capable of providing psychological relief and assistance for the returning students.
The training programme provides information on how to identify students in need of psychological assistance and the procedure to follow in helping such students. The education ministry revealed counsellors working in schools will be provided further training on helping students overcome psychological distress once the first phase of the training is completed.
Schools have been closed in the Maldives since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The education ministry has announced the decision to reopen schools on July 1.