Letter of the Day | Mental health is the new literacy

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As the general secretary for the National Association of UNESCO Clubs, I had the honour of representing Jamaica as a delegate at the First Global Youth Forum of UNESCO Clubs and Associations in February 2025.

At the forum, Oxford University’s Dr. Wayne Holmes warned that as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent in education, only the wealthy might be able to afford real teachers. I wasn’t surprised as just the day before, I had presented a proposal advocating for empathy-based psychosocial care in the age of AI.

As a health and family life educator and master trainer working across schools, I’ve seen the widening cracks in our system. Staff development often feels like a checklist activity rather than meaningful support. Our educators, who are the emotional anchors of our schools, are exhausted. In some institutions, teachers aren’t even compensated for responsibilities that would earn external consultants a fee.

We urgently need mandatory mental health training and ongoing well-being programmes that centre teachers as people first—not just professionals.

As Jamaica’s ambassador for World Digital Detox Day, I continue to raise bold questions about children’s digital consumption. Why are countries moving to ban social media for children under 16 or 18? Because the addictive pull of instant gratification is rewiring developing minds, and we are not acting quickly enough.Jamaica has begun laying the foundation through efforts like Jamaica Moves in Schools and the National School Nutrition Policy. But we must go further; implement mandatory unplugged days, and reimagine extra-curricular periods as vital identity-building spaces, especially for generalists, creatives, and multi-potentialities. These students thrive in dynamic environments, but our system keeps trying to box them in.

CULTURE OF CARE

At the global forum, I made it clear, no meaningful reform can happen without accessible, sustainable mental health infrastructure. We are making progress with our curriculum and our frontline HFLE teachers, nurses, and counsellors, but too many schools still lack psychologists and social workers. And where support does exist, stigma, cost, and red tape often keep students from getting the help they need.

This is where the public and private sectors must collaborate. Insurance providers must reimagine coverage to include mental health as a basic right. Ministries must make psychosocial services non-negotiable, not optional.

Generation Alpha, those born from 2010 onwards, is growing up in a digital, high pressure world. Their attention spans are shortening, anxiety is rising, and they’re inheriting crisis after crisis. If we don’t build school systems that prioritise mental health, they will burn out before adulthood. But with well-trained educators, intentional unplugged time, and accessible support, we can help them grow into empathetic, purpose-driven, and resilient adults.

Another overlooked issue is that some students require time away from school, not as punishment, but for their mental and emotional wellbeing. While schools are discouraged from expelling students (and rightly so), there is little infrastructure in place to offer alternatives. Where are the support programmes, therapeutic day schools, or reintegration pathways for the student and their families? Limiting expulsions without providing solutions puts more strain on already-stretched teachers.

We cannot build confident, resilient youths, or retain passionate educators, without a culture of care. Jamaica is already in motion. But we must move with greater speed and purpose. The crisis isn’t looming. It’s already here.

Let’s start where it matters most: with the mental health of our schools.

DAVIA ‘DIVERSIA’ ELLIS