Introduction: School teachers play a crucial role in shaping and directing young minds holistically. Teachers, as workers, are facing extreme stress in the workplace due to multiple demands and expectations from them, similar to other workers across the globe. Improvement of working conditions is important to safeguard the mental health of workers. The International Labour Organization advocates the promotion of mental health in the workplace. Still, teachers in India are facing stress due to their work and interconnected factors, impacting their mental well-being.
Objectives: The study aims to find out the professional and personal challenges of public sector and private sector school teachers that affect their mental health and overall well-being.
Methodology: An in-depth face-to-face interview was conducted with school teachers (n= 30) from both the public and private sectors; using a purposive sampling technique, participants were selected from various locations in West Bengal, India. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Thematic analysis was employed to identify the key themes of the study.
Results: The following themes revealed the causes of mental distress among the teachers: a) challenges in private sector schools, further divided into power dynamics of multiple hierarchies, continuously appeasing parents and students, and everyday extreme productivity pressure to sustain their job; b) challenges in public sector schools, further divided into impact of poor infrastructure, weak collegial relationships, and regular extensive travel, lifestyle disorder creating health issues, and complaints about non-academic workload and salary; and c) shared challenges between public and private schools, further divided into neglect of household duties and responsibilities, violation of right to disconnect, and lack of career growth and development.
Conclusion: Mental well-being impacts teaching quality, and so to reduce stress, a better scope for promotion, leisure, and salary, and higher staff recruitment, is essential.
