Pisay: Behind the Curtain
Students and stress can be considered as an inseparable pairing. When it comes to ambition, it is easy to allow big visions to eclipse our needs and comfort. But when one’s mental health and well-being are on the line, there is a need for school to take a back seat.
In an interview last March, DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña commended Pisay students for their performance amidst the pandemic. Reportedly, 50% of the student population made it to the Directors’ List — a feat 17% higher compared to the past school year. He also added that 82% of Pisay students were of good academic standing (with a GWA between 1.00–2.25). However, this was significantly lower as compared to the data from the last school year, which was at 97%.
Rather than focusing on the praises given, we should point out how the remarks were rather insensitive to the struggles of the students. In terms of education administered during a pandemic, the setup implemented by the PSHSS is relatively taxing for both the faculty and the student body. For them to assess the effectiveness of the CRBL using the same metrics for the old setup is quite absurd, considering how the conditions for each learning system are exceedingly different.
It is given that stress and pressure is a familiar and constant feeling that students would have to encounter at some point. Deadline after deadline, this has forced students to adopt and be resilient — from taking breaks, doing student-led mental health surveys, and looking out for each other. While these practices may be considered exemplary, they have, in turn, let the system be accustomed and desensitized to mental health issues that have occurred and have yet to occur. Not once did the system question why most students had the resolve to be resilient.
As reported by the World Health Organization, 10–20% of children and adolescents suffer from some form of mental health disorder; the statistics on suicide are even more alarming. A survey of Philippine high school students, age 13 to 17, revealed that nearly 17% had attempted suicide in the previous year, while 12% had thought about it. To say these kinds of statistics suggest an unhealthy level of stress among students would be an understatement.
Moreover, the hashtag #PisayGiveUsABreak trended on PH twitter as Pisay students united to call for an academic break and for the PSHS system to focus on the wellbeing of their students. The previous act is a manifestation of the students’ demand for a change in the system — a change that well concerns itself with the paradigm and discussion on mental health.
The fact that the percentage of Director’s Listers has suddenly increased and the percentage of students in good academic standing has dramatically decreased emphasizes the gap between those privileged enough to cope with the new mode of learning and those who are not. Not only that, but it also shows a clear emphasis on meritocracy — a system wherein students are credited based on grades. Despite its commonality, grades are exceptionally hollow and subjective assessments. We might like to believe that they do speak to our greater intelligence, but that would be to admit that our evaluation of ourselves should be based on what others think of us.
The looming issue on students’ mental health will only get worse when left unaddressed. There is certainly an urgent need for a system-wide change. But before everything, we must first acknowledge that there are problems within the system — before it’s too late. While Pisay continuously conducts mental health assessments and webinars for its constituents, the discussion on mental health should go beyond the usual measures administered by institutions.
In essence, the PSHSS’ guidance program has to be reoriented into a system that’s proactive instead of reactive. It is vital to implement mental health programs that are based on actual data-driven decisions, a tiered system of mental health support, and a thorough evaluation of current mental health services to ensure they are addressing the right issues and gaps. Furthermore, genuine faculty, student, and staff representation is necessary to guarantee the practicality of decisions made for the system’s constituents.
When it comes to ensuring student success, mental health matters. Educators should be leaders, not bystanders, in this effort. Schools have the tremendous advantage of being a major hub in children’s lives; they are communities with interdisciplinary collaborative systems and support. We can initiate conversations with local community providers and begin to take meaningful steps toward improving our mental-health systems so that all children are afforded the continuum of care they so desperately need.
