Greens call for better mental health in schools

"Bulimic learning", overloaded curricula, grade and performance pressure, stress and bullying: the Greens in the Saxon state parliament are concerned about the mental health of children and young people. "Our goal must be to maintain the children's thirst for knowledge, creativity and love of learning that they bring to school throughout their entire school career. We want schools where children learn, live and laugh in equal measure," writes Green education expert Christin Melcher in a position paper.

Christin Melcher: School can make you ill

However, the reality is different for many pupils, explained the MP from Leipzig. Although the education and training mandate is formulated holistically in the German Schools Act, subject-specific knowledge is given higher priority than personal well-being and mental health. "School can make you ill. The coronavirus pandemic acted as an accelerant and was a turning point for young people. The effects are still being felt today." A lack of resources, such as the shortage of teachers, exacerbated the situation.

Melcher referred to studies according to which young people are becoming increasingly unhappy overall. Young people today are characterized by "anxiety, insecurity and little confidence for the future". According to happiness research, the reasons for this are global crises and constant comparison with others, promoted by social media.

Melcher: Greater focus on mental health

"In view of the number and severity of the crises of our time, there needs to be a greater focus on the mental health of children and young people. We need to do school differently," explained Melcher. The task of schools should be to make young people strong and resilient for their path in an increasingly complex world. "Children and young people can only learn well if they are healthy and happy." To achieve this, the Greens are proposing a whole range of measures.

In concrete terms, they are looking for a "new learning and examination culture with fewer performance assessments and alternative feedback formats". The prevailing pressure to perform demonstrably does little to build skills and self-confidence. More children and young people should be given the opportunity to learn together for longer, for example in community schools. In their opinion, the topic of mental health - dealing with stress, nutrition, sleep and exercise - should be dealt with directly in lessons, for example in a school subject called "Happiness" or "Mental health and school".

Let lessons start later and conduct more research on the topic

The Greens are in favor of letting lessons start later. Surveys on learning levels could be combined with an assessment of mental health. "PISA studies also record the school climate and the well-being of pupils - because it is important for learning success. It is time to take these results just as seriously and focus on them as the performance levels determined." The Green parliamentary group is also in favor of more research on this topic. At the same time, psychotherapeutic care for children and young people needs to be improved.