Schoolkids fight turmoil; counselling vans yet to roll

CHENNAI: Recently, Sushmitha*, 10, stuffed three sets of clothes into her schoolbag. She had decided to run away from home because she couldn’t get along with her stepfather.
“The girl’s mother, a domestic maid, had remarried. The child felt neglected in the new family. She went to a counsellor in the school at the last minute. After a long talk, the girl decided to go back home,” said Magdalene Jeyarathnam-Miller, the head of East West Center for Counselling and Training who sends counsellors to government and private schools.More than 50% of government schoolchildren like Sushmitha,, who face problems at home, are yet to spot the mobile counselling van the school education department said it had launched two months ago.
Officials said the vans have hardly rolled. A counsellor quit after the training and a psychologist who stepped in soon resigned, said a school education department official. “The counsellor met with an accident and said he could be return after three months, but the department can’t wait that long. So, we are looking for a replacement,” said the official.
The project was launched at 2 crore, with a van each for 10 districts. Many children who go to government schools live in houses where there is no exclusive place to study, especially as the TV is always on. They have to cook and work to support parents who are daily wage workers; some have to handle stalkers, some fight suicidal tendencies, said official.
Psychologists said mobile counseling vans are but a temporary solution to a major problem. “Children need a counsellor who would be around all the time, as they’ll talk only when they feel comfortable. This can’t happen with school visits,” said Miller. Some private schools have up to four counsellors, but for 1,000 children in a government school, there is none. “There should be one counsellor for at least 100 children,” said Miller.
The idea of counselling vans is a step towards mental health education, but children need follow-up support after counselling, said psychologist Dr Sangeetha Madhu. “I don’t know whether it’s possible with mobile vans,” she said. “I have been knocking on school doors for the past three years, asking them to allot a period for mental health education once in two weeks. Nobody seems to be keen.”
She said there is has been a rise in children with emotional problems. “This could be cut down if students are taught about mental health and if there are policy changes,” Madhu said.