Shanavas encourages teachers to empathise with students
The 3rd batch of the nine-month diploma in school counselling was inaugurated at SIEMAT hall, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Kohima on September 2. The programme is sponsored by Samagra Shiksha, Nagaland.
According to a DIPR report, in his inaugural speech, principal director, school education, Shanavas C said that the pandemic had created a tough time for all, especially the students.
He said it was an open fact that students from a different economic background usually studied in government schools while also going through various challenges.
Shanavas mentioned that adolescence was a tricky phase where children at that age could be influenced by bad habits and the incidents that adolescents faced in this phase stayed with them throughout their life.
Therefore, he asked the teachers present in the programme to be good listeners and to emphasise with the students. Shanavas also said that counselling could help many children especially in today’s world where there many of them were battling anxiety issues, depression and suicidal tendencies.
He further said that when the teachers go back to their respective schools, there would be expectations.
In this regard, he advised them to lean to those expectations and asked them to be passionate about counselling as they were dealing with children who were the future of the society.
‘Need to focus on psychological, emotional wellbeing of children’
Speaking at the programme, professor & head, guidance & counselling cell, SCERT, Dr. Zavise Rume said that the guidance and counselling programme started only in the 1980s and had gradually become the most important cell for activities in SCERT.
The proposal for upgrading the diploma course from six months to nine months was approved in July 2017 and SCERT Nagaland was the first in the country to approve school counselling in 2018.
Dr. Zavise also said that every child would be required to go under counselling and that counselling was an integral part of school education.
Dr. Zavise further said that the need for professional counselling was increasing in the present complexities of modern day lives and every child was experiencing different kinds of mental stress.
Therefore, he said there was a need to focus on psychological, emotional and physiological wellbeing of children.
In this regard, he said that the programme would offer hands-on skill based practical course to ensure that the counselling practices are integrated to the daily teaching learning process in schools.
In his speech, deputy mission director, Samagra Shiksha, Kelhikha Kenye said that Nagaland was the first in the country to have this kind of counselling programme and gave credit to SCERT department for its dedication and hard work.
He also said this year the government of India had allotted 60 seats for in-service government teachers to take up the diploma course.
Kelhikha further informed that the vision of Samagra Shiksha mission was the trained teachers would one day be deputed as full-time counselling teachers in all the districts.
Earlier, the programme was chaired by Dr. Zavise Rume and a welcome note was presented by additional director & HOD, SCERT, N. Chumchanbeni Kikon while research associate, SCERT, Medemmongla Jamir gave the concluding remarks.