Mental Health in Congolese Schools: From Legal Fiction to Stakeholder Improvisation, Institutionalization in Search of Meaning
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article examines the systemic divide between the legislative ambitions of Congolese schools and conditions on the ground marked by structural precarity. Although the 1995 Education Act and the 2022-2026 National Health Development Plan(PNDS) position psychological well-being as a driver of educational success, the study shows that this institutionalization amounts to a legal fiction. Drawing on the neo-institutionalist framework of J. Meyer and B. Rowan (1977), the research identifies substantial decoupling: the institution adopts international standards through superficial isomorphism to secure external legitimacy without transforming actual practices. A qualitative investigation involving 18 key stakeholders reveals that this decoupling is reflected in a complete absence of budgetary provision and intermediary support structures. This vacuum forces teachers to engage in informal bricolage, an ethic of compensatory care reported in 81% of cases, which generates professional burnout and compassion fatigue. Without an official clinical framework, institutional silence gives way to mystical and religious interpretations of psychological disorders (72%), perpetuating student stigmatization. To address this anomie, the study recommends transforming Pedagogical Coordination Units into Spaces for Collaborative Development and Psychosocial Support.
Institutions: Marien Ngouabi University, Université André Salifou
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225012008