Bangalore’s National Institute for Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) will train teachers of Tamil Nadu schools and colleges on counselling their students. Training would begin in December.
The Nimhans’ initiative comes in the wake of Tamil Nadu government directing all schools and colleges to have psychiatrists and counselling centres in their campuses to handle students with psychological and emotional issues.
The Tamil Nadu government’s move follows violent incidents involving students in educational institutions which saw three students in a Tuticorin college hack their principal to death on October 10 inside the college campus in Vallanadu in Tuticorin district. “As directed, chairpersons, correspondents, secretaries and principals of all schools and colleges of education are essentially advised to nominate a teacher who could act as psychiatrist-cum-counsellor to handle students,” a senior official from Directorate of Collegiate Education told Deccan Herald.
Accordingly, a circular has also been sent to authorities of the institutions to identify teachers who can be trained in counselling. The training process would precede the process of establish counselling centres which would begin by February 2014. The Tamil Nadu government has also formed a committee comprising of psychiatrists and experts in each district who would visit schools and colleges periodically to help students.
Official said institutions have been asked to form a disciplinary committee with a senior faculty as its head to take action against students misbehaving on the campus. The effort will go in some ways in filling a void in educational institutions as principals frequently complained about the lack of expertise to handle students with unusual behaviour.
In addition, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University also issued circular to all colleges in to nominate a well qualified expert for career guidance and counselling to advise the students appropriately on employment opportunities and career paths. According to a circular issued by the university, students will be informed of availability of the expert to provide counselling and career guidance and also to advise them appropriately on employment opportunities.
"The management shall take immediate steps in this regard and inform the name of the expert nominated for this purpose with his contact numbers and other required details. Resumes should be sent to the University immediately, the circular said.The person nominated shall be instructed to provide his expert advice to the students approaching him and maintain a record in this regard with the signatures of the students and feedback.
In 2012, a IX student stabbed his teacher to death after she allegedly remarked about students who did not perform well.