The federal and provincial health departments in Pakistan made recommendations for a phased implementation of the WHO School Mental Health Program in a pilot district of Pakistan. We are currently evaluating the effectiveness of WHO School Mental Health Program in Pakistan.
Stakeholders from the education sector, including teachers, parents and children aged 8-13 years, will participate in a cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of delivering WHO School Mental Health Program at scale in Pakistan.
The WHO School Mental Health Program will be implemented through a task-shifting approach, whereby school teachers will be trained in identification and managing child mental health problems in school settings. A collaborative care model to link schools, parents and child mental health experts will be developed.