Focus shifts to students’ mental health

Edu minister says there is an urgent need to reassess how schools handle emotional distress among students

- IFRAH MUFTI & ADITI RAY CHOWDHURY @ New Delhi

THERE is a renewed focus on whether schools in the city have adequate infrastructure for mental health to support children in distress.

The Delhi government schools have a permanent position for counsellors, termed 'Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellors' (EVGCs), who are responsible for counselling services at up to four schools each. The guidelines specify that these counsellors are shared between schools and are collectively overseen by an auxiliary body, known as the EVGC Bureau, which comes under the Directorate of Education (DoE).