Aussie Students Are Asking For Two Days Off Each Term To Cope With School Stress

Australian students are calling for basic measures that could help restore their mental health.

There's no denying the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns have been a stressful time for many people across the country.

Teenagers have also been trying to balance all their studies over Zoom or Teams workshops and they too are dealing with added stress of being stuck indoors during their formative years.

As a result, they want two mental health days every term to use when they're feeling low.

The Victorian Student Representative Council has called on schools to see if sick day policies could be added to ensure kids have a chance to regroup, protect themselves and then take on their learning.

Narre Warren South Year 12 student Joe Fraser told the Herald Sun: "I think the 'no questions asked' mental health days are really crucial, it should really be up to students to decide if they're going to be OK going to school and taking the days off will boost their motivation in the long run.

"What I've heard from students from different schools is that the problem lies with their schools trying to mandate after school classes or revision classes on the school holidays.

"School holidays need to remain a rest break because it really does make those students burnout because they're not having time away from school."

The Commission for Children and Young People handed down a report into how students coped with the events of the last 18 months and the results were rather unsurprising.

Anxiety was the top issue as many found the lack of social interaction and time in between classes contributed to their feelings of isolation.

Loads of young Australians found the numerous lockdowns in Victoria created or exacerbated mental health issues. The document also highlighted many students finding it difficult to adjust to at-home learning.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education didn't totally rule out the idea of mental health days for students.

They told News Corp: "We know how challenging the pandemic has been for Victorian students, especially those in their final years of school - and we're working closely with VicSRC to make sure all students have the support they need to succeed despite disruptions to the school calendar."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie