Schools, universities urged to provide emotional, psychological support

Schools and universities under lockdowns for COVID-19 epidemic control purpose must provide support to students and teachers facing emotional and psychological problems, said an official with the Ministry of Education.

It's understandable that students and teachers can easily develop emotional and psychological problems if they cannot go outside the campus for a long period of time. As a result, the demand for psychological support has increased, Wang Dengfeng, director of the Ministry of Education's department of physical education, health and the arts, said at a news conference held by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council on Friday.

"Students and teachers under lockdowns must be better informed about the details of the lockdown, including the reason why and how long it's going to last. We've noticed that the worries among students and teachers are often caused by not having enough information about the lockdown," Wang said.

Most Chinese universities have set up psychological counseling centers. Also, the Smart Education of China online platform has integrated a psychological health section to help students and teachers better deal with emotional and psychological needs related to COVID-19 epidemic control issues, he added.

"We are also developing a section on the platform for the students and teachers to vent their negative feelings freely. Although what they say won't be published, we believe that the process will make them feel better," Wang said.