The country's education system has not prepared parents and pupils for the hopelessness and suicidal thoughts that may follow poor academic results. Education and mental health experts say that schools are not trying to ensure that children do not get depressed if they get a failed report card this week.University of Pretoria education psychologist Professor Kobus Maree said he was baffled as to why the Department of Education failed to use more education psychologists to prepare parents and pupils for less than satisfactory exam performances." How are parents supposed to know what to say when they are hopeless themselves? Who has prepared them? No one," he said.Maree said children who performed badly could become depressed."Because they know that if they fail, their chances of getting a job are severely impacted - and that if they don't get a job, their chances in life are severely impacted. So it's a knock-on effect."Any psychologist will tell you that the worst thing that can happen to any person is the feeling that circumstances beyond their control are exercising such a negative effect there is nothing they can do about it. That can lead to suicide."Basil Manuel, president of the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA, said the mental health of pupils was neglected."I don't think our system is geared to assist with children who may have depressive tendencies and who may even be suicidal."I don't know any school that will actively try to ensure that there are no depressed children."Schools that are better off have counsellors. The chances are that they will be able to detect a problem."But the majority of schools don't have early intervention schemes."The department certainly isn't geared up for that, so one could even say that we are probably sitting on a little bit of a time bomb," Manuel said...