Mental-health care of students amid COVID-19

DSEJ constitutes Psychological Task Force to strengthen counselling setup

JAMMU, MAY 30: To ensure mental health and well-being of students amid corona outbreak, Directorate of School Education Jammu has constituted a psychological task force comprising over 100 teachers with psychology background.
This is in addition to tele-counselling helpline and already functioning counselling cells in all Higher Secondary Schools and High Schools of Jammu division.
The psychological task force will strengthen the counselling services (psycho-social, career and child protection) in addition to performing their academic duties.
The task force consists of over 100 faculty members having post-graduation (PG) in psychology. They will be trained on counselling skills and other well-being skills through professional organizations and resource persons.
To begin with, counselling Cell DSEJ in collaboration with Bharatiya Counselling Psychology Association (BCPA) is going to organise three-day orientation-cum-training programme on counselling skills for the task force from June 1 to 3. These officials then will be screened for giving them responsible assignments regarding guidance and counselling.
Meanwhile, Director School Education, Jammu, Anuradha Gupta, while interacting with officials associated with counselling, noted that there are emerging mental health concerns with specific focus on kids, adolescents and teenagers, especially learners with disabilities.
She hoped that the task force would go a long way in mitigating psychological needs of kids.
“Educators with psychological background and related experience can prove the best facilitators,” she said.
Head Counselling Cell DSEJ, Romesh Kumar Sharma said that these officials will work in consultation with Counselling Cell DSEJ for carrying out counselling initiatives/interventions.
He added the need of the hour was to undertake guidance and counselling interventions more aggressively to ensure mental health and well-being, career awareness and protection of the learners at school level during and post Covid-19 era.
Job profile of this task force will be to undertake, monitor, report and develop resource material for various counselling initiatives in collaboration with Counselling Cell of DSEJ. These task force members will also keep a close liasoning with respective District Institute of Education and Trainings (DIETs) and Counselling cell of DSEJ.
Chief Education Officers (CEO) of all districts of Jammu province had been directed to instruct the head of institutions of respective schools to allow and direct all faculty members having MA psychology to contribute to this humanitarian cause by being part of various psycho-social interventions in consultation with counselling cell at the school directorate at Jammu.
Pertinently HRD ministry has also written to concerned organizations to ensure mental well-being of students along with academics.