More and more students are struggling with learning during the pandemic. This year, the Ministry of Education registered 1,561 university students with distinct learning disabilities, up from 1,000 in 2019. Photo credit: MENDELU
Brno, Jan 13 (BD) – The Covid-19 pandemic has driven large numbers of students to psychological counselling. However, their issues are not limited to depression and anxiety, but also include problems with study. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of students with learning difficulties at Czech public universities has greatly increased during the pandemic. This year, the ministry registered 1,561 university students who have demonstrated distinct learning disabilities and weak adaptation to their studies. A year earlier there were 1,249, and before the pandemic in 2019 only about 1,000.
There is also a queue of people interested in the services of psychologists at Brno’s Mendel University. Dozens are on the waiting list for expert assistance. “One of the key topics relates to study, including study difficulties, fear of failure, fear of distance learning, and so on,” said Veronika Matějková from the MENDELU Counseling Center.
Students most often mention fear. They are afraid that they will not be able to do anything, that they do not have enough knowledge, or that they cannot cope and have an aversion to learning online. Therefore, at the beginning of the collaboration, they complete a SWOT analysis with the experts, where they think about themselves as a student. “Knowledge of myself and the learning process, i.e. how I actually learn and what my abilities and possibilities are, increases confidence and mental well-being even during the exam period,” said Matějková. According to experts, 5 to 10 percent of the Czech population has some form of learning disability, and universities are responding to this with an expanding range of services that would activate these students.
