TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he is considering appointing teachers as counsellors for students in schools.
“We can introduce the concept of teachers counselling students. The teachers can act as counsellors. They are definitely good counsellors without qualification…parents are not available (for their children) most of the time…” he said during a felicitation function of teachers of People’s High School that achieved 100 percent results in all the four streams.
The 25-year-old higher secondary school’s remarkable feat is a record in the history of Goa Board with all 142 students appearing in Science, Commerce, Arts and Vocational streams passing in all the papers.
Parrikar was highly impressed by the performance of the students of the institution. Chairm.an of the Managing Committee Rahul Deshpande informed the chief minister that People’s HSS teachers would visit the houses of disturbed students and counsel the family. “This effort yielded positive results,” he said.
While applauding the endeavour, Parrikar also disclosed some disturbing figures that indicated there are several students who are disturbed. “According to a rough estimate, 8,500-odd students were found to have different problems of which at least 300 cases were of serious nature…there were suicidal tendencies and abuses…” he said, adding, “Counselling has probably resolved many issues and sole students’ problems.”
Parrikar, who is also education minister also pointed out that cultural chaos have also led to the disturbed state of mind of students. “There is cultural chaos. Who is responsible? We ourselves are responsible for this. Government cannot improve cultural standards, it can only help…’ he said, urging the people to think positive.
Responding to a media question, he spoke about government efforts to plug the shortage of counsellors. “We need more counsellors. We are however not compromising on their appointments. I have issued strict instructions that appointments should not be on recommendations or pressure tactics. Only qualified and suitable candidates are being appointed…this is the criteria, which is why we have not got as many counsellors though we have hiked the salary,” he said.
Commenting on autistic children, Parrikar said the government will upgrade its existing policy for the ‘mentally disturbed’ and autistic children in June who are not being treated as “special children”. “We are accepting them as special kids based on the certification by GMC,’ he said.
