Parents have been asked to pay special attention to the mental health of many children as some of them exhibit a high level of anxiety and despair after the reopening of schools last week following a gap of two long years.

It is learnt that many students continue to have trouble adjusting to the new changes. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Deepthi Prasad, a leading psychology professional in the Kingdom, said: “All students are not alike. While 50 per cent of them are excited to return to school, the remaining 50pc aren’t really happy as they have to leave their comfort zone, sleeping, learning and behavioural patterns.

“Students were accustomed to a different learning pattern, such as long hours of online class, which has affected their attention span, most often causing difficulties in focusing on studies while harming their social skills. As a result of these difficulties, they will be struggling to cope with the offline demand, which increases stress, anxiety, fear, and anger in them.