Jammu: To ensure mental health and well-being of students amid the coronavirus outbreak, Directorate of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) has constituted a psychological task force to strengthen the counselling set up in the region.
This is in addition to the tele-counselling helpline and already functioning counselling cells in all higher secondary 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,” DSEJ said in a release on Sunday.
It said the task force consists of more than 100 faculty members having post-graduation (PG) in psychology, who would be trained on counselling skills and other well-being skills through professional organisations 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.
Later, these officials would be screened for giving them responsible assignments regarding guidance and counseling, the release said.
Meanwhile, Director School Education, Jammu, Anuradha Gupta, while interacting with officials associated with counselling, said 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 the need of the hour is 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 the Counselling Cell of DSEJ. The task force members will also keep a close liasoning with respective District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs) and Counselling cell of DSEJ,” he said.
He said 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. PTI
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