Stakeholders in the education sector are raising alarms over the growing mental health crisis among students in tertiary and higher learning institutions, calling for increased awareness and targeted measures to address the issue. Led by Lydia Macharia, Manager of People and Talent Development at PFK Kenya, the stakeholders highlighted the sharp rise in mental disorders, suicides, and violence in learning institutions, attributing much of it to untreated mental health issues.
Speaking at a career fair held at Zetech University’s Thika Road campus, Macharia stressed the urgent need for collaboration between the government and private sector stakeholders to combat what she described as a “mental illness pandemic” affecting youth in the country. She emphasized the importance of investing in counseling and mentorship programs to tackle this growing problem.
“There’s a dire need to create awareness and invest in counselling and mentorship to tackle and slay this dragon that’s wreaking havoc in our institutions of learning,” Macharia stated, urging students to seek help from counselors and mentors to avoid sinking into depression.
Macharia further pointed out that around 75 percent of mental illnesses manifest during teenage years, particularly when students are in college or university, stressing the need for these institutions to establish adequate resources and facilities to help students navigate mental health challenges effectively.
Prof Owen Ngumi, Dean of the School of Education, Arts, and Social Sciences at Zetech University, echoed these sentiments, explaining that the university has already put in place structures to promote the well-being of its students. He mentioned that Zetech University has established a fully-fledged student welfare department and a counseling faculty to provide necessary support to students, staff, and the wider community.
“We also have programs to help, offer individualized counselling, peer counselling and referral collaboration with mental health professionals,” he said.
He also divulged that the University has rolled out a psycho-education education programme targeting new learners, where all first-year students receive mentorship and training to empower them with the requisite knowledge that enables them to sail through varsity life without sinking into mental anguish and other anti-social vices.
“This programme is meant to salvage the students from issues that may push mental disorders during their varsity life,” Prof Ngumi said.
Sophia Kihanda, a stakeholder and the General Manager of Paleo Hotels challenged parents to handle their parenting mantle with a grip saying that most parents have back-tracked on their duties and hence the reason why their children are sinking into social ills.
The Kenyan National Commission of Human Rights (KNHRC) estimates that 25% and 40% of outpatients and inpatients suffer from mental health conditions.
The most frequent diagnoses of mental illnesses made in general hospital settings are depression, substance abuse, stress, and anxiety disorders
