“If I’m unhealthy, then I don’t have a place in our school system”: Co-creating a gender-transformative, whole-school and school-linked mental health research and learning agenda in Uganda

Chimaobi Onwukwe

African Educational Research Journal
Published: September 7 2026
Volume 14, Issue 3
Pages 677-694
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22642889

Abstract

Schools are increasingly expected to promote mental health, identify distress and connect learners to care, yet evidence from low-resource African education systems remains fragmented. This study examined how school communities and system actors in Uganda understand mental health, the needs of learners and school staff, the capacity of schools to respond, and the research and learning priorities required to build a gender-transformative, whole-school and school-linked mental health system. A qualitative participatory study was conducted in Kampala, Jinja, Gulu and Mbarara. Approximately 200 stakeholders were engaged, including learners, teachers, school leaders, parents, community actors, policy officials, service providers, civil society organisations and research partners. Regional consultative dialogues and co-creation sessions used facilitated discussion, group reflection, participatory ranking and priority-setting. Data were analysed thematically using deductive and inductive approaches, with comparison across regions and stakeholder groups. Mental health was understood broadly as emotional, psychological, social, cognitive and behavioural wellbeing, but these understandings coexisted with stigma, spiritual and moral explanations, gender norms and distrust of school support systems. Learner distress was described as cumulative and shaped by academic pressure, poverty, family instability, bullying, violence, substance use, disability, displacement and weak support structures. Girls faced pressures linked to reproductive health, exploitation and social judgement, while boys were constrained by emotional suppression, risk-taking and reluctance to seek help. Teacher and staff wellbeing was widely neglected despite its importance for learner support. Schools had multiple policy and programme entry points, but implementation was fragmented, under-financed and weakly linked to health, child protection and community services. Stakeholders prioritised policy coherence, learner and staff wellbeing, equity and disability inclusion, school climate, family engagement, gender transformation, mental health literacy, functional services and referral, implementation and financing, and responsible digital innovation. School mental health in Uganda should be treated as an education, health, protection and equity systems issue rather than a narrow counselling function. The co-created agenda provides a sequenced framework for generating actionable evidence and strengthening emotionally safe, inclusive and sustainable school-based and school-linked support.

Keywords: School mental health, gender-transformative research, whole-school approach, co-creation, implementation research, Uganda, adolescent wellbeing.

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