COVID-19: Romania’s FSLI launches project to offer psychological support to teachers, students and parents
As in many countries, Romania’s education workers are adapting fast to support their students and communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. But is it important that these professionals also protect their own wellbeing, including their mental health, during this period of change, stress and increased workload. ETUCE member organisation FSLI is working with psychologists to offer free counselling to teachers, students and parents.
With schools in Romania closed to limit the spread of COVID-19, education staff are being expected to switch to distance teaching through online tools. The Ministry of Education is providing training on how to use these tools, but this sudden profound shift in methodology is a real challenge. Moreover, the training is time-consuming, and these new methods require a great deal of preparation. The result is that many teachers are working significantly more hours than normal, during a period of national crisis where they are also dealing with the personal pressures of confinement at home.
FSLI is supporting members by facilitating their access to free professional counselling, offered by the Proacta EDU Association and its network of qualified psychologists and psychotherapists. The trade union is using its ability to reach the membership to ensure that teachers and school communities find out about this offer and know who they can reach out to for help. As the COVID-19 crisis continues, the psychosocial risks of isolation, working from home and the rapid adjustment of paedogogical practice will surely come into focus. Initiatives like this show education trade unions are already taking this seriously and striving to provide their members vital support.
The ETUCE Secretariat sends solidarity to all member organisations as they react to this unprecedented crisis. We invite them to get in touch and let us know what challenges they face, how they are responding, which good practices they have developed and their needs for support from the ETUCE family. Contact us at secretariat@csee-etuce.org.