Schools flout norms by not hiring counsellors

RANCHI: Despite growing incidents of suicide among students, most schools in the city do not have full-time students' counsellors violating the Right to Education Act 2009. On June 13, CBSE sent letters to affiliated schools, making appointment of counsellors mandatory. The directive has yet not been adhered to by many city schools.
Members of Jharkhand State Parents Association met Fr.Sibu Abraham, principal of St Thomas School where Utkarsh, an eighth grader of the school, committed suicide when he could not complete his homework on time. They requested him to appoint full-time counsellors to ease students' tension and anxiety. "The child was emotionally distraught and there may have been a lack of communication between teachers and students," Rajiv Ranjan, a member of the association, said.
M K Sinha, principal of DAV Public School, Hehal, said, "This is the 15th time that CBSE has issued this letter to appoint counsellors which shows schools are violating board norms. If the schools fail to follow the board's directivewithin a month, affiliations are likely to be cancelled."
Neena Agarwal, a psychologist who visits Loreto Convent every Friday said, "Children don't have the capacity to handle stress and they make decisions on an emotional frame mindset."