For decades, our education system has stated that the opportunities of bright futures and access to Universities have been readily available to everyone; no matter their background. But those of us living on the short end of the stick argue against this claim. From being thrown in the deep end with outgoing extroverts, to having panic attacks dreading the tomorrow to come, we will state why an option for online education needs to be implemented in UK schools. 

For hundreds of years, mental health was believed to be caused by demonic powers or witchcraft and was commonly “treated” with an exorcism or those with severe psychological disorders would be imprisoned and often executed. This was due to a lack of understanding of the equipment and techniques to treat people successfully; as technology and knowledge have improved over time there has been little development in how the educational system provides support to young people facing these disorders. 

Mental health has always been a taboo subject, and as much as awareness has increased in our modern era, those with these unseen illnesses are still indirectly outcasted from ‘normal’ society. This has been particularly present in our ‘modernized’ education system. As psychology has clearly expressed, childhood is the most influential time for anyone’s development and future. But what if that childhood has been interrupted? Traumatising experiences and emotional abuse are equally as influential for children, and these events usually stem into debilitating mental illnesses. Extreme bullying to family issues can influence the way a child’s brain develops. This then has a chain reaction in how these children absorb educational content. These children are usually characterised as the ‘slow ones’ or those who achieved highly in younger years but began to slow down when reaching high school to college age. Is there any way we could make the school system equal for children of all backgrounds and personalities? The short answer is yes. 

I’m sure a majority of students would agree that the COVID 19 lockdowns affected their mental well-being and interrupted their much loved social interactions and, in turn, affected their education. But what if this majority were to step into the shoes of students with severe social anxiety or depression? Many of these students thrived through online schooling, having the time to focus on well needed mental care, hone in on certain areas of subjects in a comfortable environment and not have to worry about meticulously planning how the day's social interactions will play out. Does online schooling have to end for those of us who were thriving from it?

One main argument against online lessons is ‘if we had readily available online lessons, many students would stay off on purpose and not because of underlying issues.’ Firstly, the education system has had no trouble adapting to the needs of certain students. Most schools have been equipped with facilities for those who are physically disabled but the facilities for those mentally disabled are lacking. Most of these ‘solutions for mental health’, in schools are simply trying to insert mentally ill students into what is considered as a ‘perfect school setting’. And if we were to look away from the majority of students to the minority, what is being forced is unfair and unethical. Instead, It would be a simple solution for those who wish to attend online lessons to provide the school with medical notes clearly showing mental illness or a history related to mental illness. This could be implicated through a poll given to those who the school management know are struggling, giving them the option of online learning. Another argument states that ‘if these children cannot go to school, then how will they handle the real world?’. If you take into account the number of known absences due to a mental disorder that is now reaching 13.4% of all days absent, we believe that online learning is far better than not attending the lesson at all. Moreover, we are not suggesting that this is a forever fix, online lessons should be there as an option for when times are difficult for people suffering from mental health problems and are struggling to attend in-person classes for whatever their reason may be. This solution aims to help students find their feet again and cope with their mental struggles while not falling too far behind with their studies. 

In conclusion, giving the minority of students who would thrive from online education the option to better themselves and become equal to those who flourish in the social school system will benefit society as a whole. Mentally ill students will still get the content of their subjects while being comfortable; less strain would be put on school management to give reason to unauthorised absences and apart from teachers having to take a few minutes to start up an online lesson; the pros outweigh the cons. For the reasons stated above, we hope you will take into consideration signing our petition as well as giving this option to those who struggle with mental disorders to have an equal opportunity to a fulfilling education as everyone else.

Thank you for reading.