Experts have urged primary schools to set up psychological counselling
offices to help them overcome problems and enhance their learning.
Primary students have more psychological obstacles today, according to
Duong Thi Thanh Thanh, lecturer of Vinh City University in Nghe An
province, who spoke at a two-day workshop that began on July 26 in
HCM City.
Some of them have problems in reading and do
math, and others have behavioural problems. In addition, some children
have developed psychological disorders because of study overload.
According to a report from the National Hospital of Pediatrics, the
hospital admitted 11,432 patients last year for psychological problems
and 30 percent of them were primary-school students.
The
National Institute of Mental Health under Bach Mai Hospital said
that some children in schools in Hanoi showed fatigue and anxiety
about their learning.
One problem is that many children were only brought to hospitals after the problem had persisted for some time.
For that reason, psychological-consulting offices at primary schools are necessary, according to Thanh.
If learning and behavourial problems are discovered early, the number
of kids hospitalised for mental health treatment would fall, she added.
Because many children also suffer from physical and mental abuse at
school as well as at home, psychological consultation will protect and
help them.
Thanh said consulting should also be provided
for parents so they can understand more about their children's
development in order to have timely intervention.
At the
workshop, representatives said they hoped the Consortium to Advance
School Psychology in Vietnam would develop a model of mental-health
counselling that could be applied at schools across the country.
They suggested that schools equip their teachers and supervisors with
skills to help them understand the psychological development of
children.
Participants at the workshop also delivered
presentations on reproductive health education in high school and skills
training for other advisors at schools.
The workshop, organised by the HCM City University of Education and Consortium
to Advance School Psychology in Vietnam , attracted more than 100 foreign and national experts and lecturers.-VNA