Bring counsellor to classroom,
say education experts
TIMES NEWS NETWORK | Mumbai:
Although discussions on mental health, depression and
other related subjects are out in the open, walking to the school counsellor’s
room is still awkward for many. City professionals and academicians have a
solution—bring the counsellor to the classroom.
Speaking at a discussion on prioritising mental health in
education on Friday, child and adolescent psychiatrist, Zirak Marker said,
“There is still a fear of being labelled if a student is seen going to the
counsellor’s office. So why not bring the counsellors to the classroom? There
must be a few periods each week when the counsellor speaks to the children and
teaches them about emotions, coping mechanisms or resilience. Then it would not
be difficult for students to approach the counsellor.” He added the format has
been highly successful at the Aditya Birla institutions in the city.
Marker was part of the panel at Aditya Birla Education
Trust’s conference on mental health. The panellists also dwelled on the
emerging high-risk group - the high-achiever schools. “There is a need for
schools to put social and mental well-being ahead of academics,” said Priscilla
Bade-White, school psychologist at the American School of Bombay.
Parents must be made part of the discussion, too, felt
principals. “The competition and pressure to get into an Ivy League school is
intense in high-achiever schools and a lot of it is linked to the parents,”
said Meera Isaacs, dean, Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort.
While several city schools have mental health
professionals on board, there continues to be a gap. “There is an 80% treatment
gap in the country. There should be one counsellor for about 250 children, but
we are nowhere close to it,” said Chetna Duggal, professor, Tata Institute of
Social Sciences.
The conference also discussed the need to imbibe
inclusivity starting at an early age and provide equal opportunities to all
students.
Source : https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/#
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