High, higher secondary schools to have counselling resource room

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 12

The Directorate of School Education, Jammu (DSEJ), has directed the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) of all 10 districts of Jammu province to ensure availability of a separate counselling resource room in all high and higher secondary schools.

The decision has been taken after reports poured in about hesitation among students to share their problems and issues with the teachers despite constituting of guidance and counselling cells in the schools in Jammu region.

To promote stress-free environment in the schools, conducive for learning and holistic development of the students and to deal with minor psychological issues, the guidance and counseling cells were established by the school directorate in all the high and higher secondary schools in 2018.

Sources said even after the cells were established in the school, the students were not able to express their issues or concerns to the people concerned in an effective manner due to the lack of separate spaces in schools. They added that another reason was non-availability of professional counsellors in the schools to deal with serious issues among children.

“There is an urgent need of private spaces and counselling resource rooms in schools where the students can confidentially share their problems and seek individual guidance. Those students having serious issues can be referred to the professionals or the counseling cell of the DSEJ”, an official said.

The official further said all CEOs had been directed to pass on the instructions to the heads of high and higher secondary schools to mark such spaces or room to be named as the counselling resource room where the students could comfortably sit for individual face- to-face guidance. The faculty members working in the counselling cells will also be assigned duty or others on rotational basis to be available for listening to the problems of students.

“The school education directorate is making efforts to ensure that these rooms and spaces will be equipped with guidance and material soon. All this can be done in collaboration with other organisations”, an official maintained. However, various non-government organisation (NGOs) or agencies are also being involved by the DSEJ in the professional capacity, which are in constant touch with other cells constituted at the schools.