Mandatory Counseling at Schools

Counseling has currently become an integral aspect in our life. We have heard of counseling for marriage, counseling for jobs, counseling for addiction etc., but of late, counseling in schools have also become prevalent. However, not all schools in India find this an important issue but considering the problems the students, teachers and parents are facing, it is essential that counseling is taken a little more seriously. Incidentally, there have been rumors that some schools here are going to send selected teachers for training in child psychology who will deal with the problems arising at school rather than hiring a Counselor.

School ArticleDeepali Mandi, a teacher from Central School, Trimulgherry, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India asserts “it is very important to have counselors in schools that could bridge the gap between the students, parents and teachers who have never been able to agree on any point”. Each one feels he/she is right. So who is to decide the right from wrong? Most certainly, it has to be a professional with an unbiased approach who would identify the problem and offer solution to overcome the obstacles faced.

The assumption that only adults who have problems in life turn to counseling is not true!! Even minors at schools today, need counseling!! But what problem do the school children have? Why the counseling in school? Is it necessary to probe into the innocent child’s mind? Well, we are all aware that the students today have a lot of peer pressure, pressure from parents, teachers and siblings and to overcome this, some element of help is required and therefore, it is felt that there is surely, a great need for counseling in the schools.

A recent article in a local news paper would certainly seem to support this cause. A picture taken anonymously by a parent showed students of Mid-West Indian Public School Marredpally, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India put through corporal punishment for having plucked flowers from the adjacent building. Do we really need to punish the children in this manner? What they require is counseling and not punishment! At a milder stage, the teacher herself could provide help but when the case gets intense, the professional help of a counselor should be considered. Corporal punishment is a reality in many cities in India, but parents are afraid to talk about it considering the consequences could be vindication towards their kids.

An institution like school where we raise children to be the future of our country, should be shown better consideration and treated with more love, care and respect, if we want them to become good citizens and make the school, parents and Country proud. After the horrendous treatment the students receive in schools, we can only expect the child to give back to the world what they got. It is believed that the basic foundation of the child has to be good to fare well in all fields of life but if the basic foundation includes harsh punishment, vindictiveness and discrimination, the child is going to turn out to be nothing but bad citizens who will impart what they have experienced and have been through.

Roma Sridharan, a class three teacher at DAV School, Ranga Reddy District. Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India is of the opinion that counseling should be made compulsory in all schools. She said ‘counseling will change the attitude of the students, parents and teachers, therein developing interaction between one another’.

In a recent incident at the DAV School, counseling was carried out to find why one of their brilliant students started showing decline in his academic progress. After counseling the student, teacher and parents, the problem was identified and necessary measures were taken to sort the issue. Thanks to the existing counseling services provided in the school.

The teacher and the parents do happen to notice the drop in child’s performance but besides giving the child warnings to improvise, no other endeavor is made to deal with the problem. The parents overlook the issue because of their busy schedule and the teachers think their job is to teach the child and not to deal with the child’s changing behavior.

It has been observed that most troubled students are victims of negligence. With both parents working to providing the best for their children, they unintentionally land up neglecting the child due to their busy schedule, stress at work and home. The perspective of priorities takes a different order. This is where the trouble starts brewing for the child. He is neglected at home and when he looks for some affection, love and care at school which is his second home, he is put through corporal punishment making it even worst.

Sometimes, even the parents can not read their own child’s mind but a child psychologist achieves this task easily and efficiently through her professional skill. She is able to assess the child and analyze the behavior of the child to find out the cause of his indifferent attitude in the school. Once the cause is identified, she then finds out ways to overcome the shortcomings. In 8 out of 10 cases, the counselor is compelled to counsel the parents of the child as well as the teachers before reaching a conclusion.

The cause for the child’s behavioral change and drop in academic performance is normally tossed between the parents and teacher. One holds the other responsible. The fact of the matter is, not one but everyone associated with the child is responsible, the whole environment the child survives in, contributes to his downfall. To overcome this issue, Dr. Sonpar, a Counselor at the Bhavan’s School suggests ‘when the students fail to obey the teachers and the teachers fail to control the student, this is the time when a counselor should be approached for help’. She further states that the threesome (student, teacher and parents) is counseled and given an opportunity to interact with one another and find solutions out amicably. The need for counseling therefore, seems very apparent and should be introduced in every school, big or small, government or private.