Innovative Finance
August 1, 2024
Context
A national study published in 2021 on mental health in China revealed that nearly 25% of adolescents experience mild to severe depression. An estimated 30 million children and adolescents under the age of 17 face emotional or behavioral challenges, highlighting a growing mental health burden. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified these issues, leaving many young people feeling increasingly isolated, anxious, and uncertain about their education and future employment. These figures highlight an urgent need to strengthen mental health support systems tailored to the specific needs and experiences of adolescents.
Solution
UNICEF’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Project in China adopts a whole-school approach, embedding SEL into all aspects of school life instead of isolating it as a stand-alone subject. Developed with the Ministry of Education, the initiative strengthens school leadership, promotes student-centered learning, encourages community engagement, and fosters school-family collaboration. It provides a national SEL framework, curriculum, training manuals, and pedagogical resources in order to integrate SEL across curricula and daily activities. UNICEF also trained teachers, principals, and local facilitators to institutionalize SEL practices. During COVID-19, the program adapted quickly by offering online SEL lessons and caregiver resources, reaching over 7.2 million views on social media. The programs were disseminated through UNICEF government, and social media. By addressing the cultural context and the needs of vulnerable children, the initiative ensures relevance and inclusivity.
With strategic funding of $2.6 million, the project reached over 291,000 students and 18,000 teachers in 525 primary schools, with plans to expand to junior secondary and preschool levels, introducing additional critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Impacts
By the end of 2020, the project had directly benefited over 129,223 students and 7,187 teachers across 250 primary schools in five western provinces of China. The SEL promotion project expanded further, reaching 162,027 students and nearly 11,000 teachers across 275 primary schools in 11 provinces. This broad reach reflects growing national commitment to integrating SEL into school systems, with promising signs of improved classroom environments and strengthened teacher-student relationships.
The project's expansion to preschools and junior secondary schools and plans for gender-responsive resources signal strong potential for scale and deeper systemic impact, but the lack of more rigorous evaluation data on an almost decade-long project is surprising. The initiative’s long-term impact on mental health outcomes among China’s youth requires comprehensive evaluation.