Imlisanen Jamir
Amidst the new challenges which the pandemic has thrown at the education sector, the Nagaland SCERT has highlighted the need for a new State policy on school counselling.
As schools began closing in response to the pandemic, students, families, teachers and administrators all had to find a way to virtually re-create their in-person school routines. This already-challenging shift was complicated by the significant number of students who lacked access to high-speed internet or desktop, laptop or tablet computers.
Educational institutes scrambled to provide devices and internet access to students — a task that was still incomplete going into the new school year. Stories of students struggling to keep up with online instruction on cell phones are still not uncommon. It has also taken a mental toll on both students and teachers. The simplistic argument to make is that children would be happy not to attend schools; however not being able to engage in a physical classroom environment inevitably takes its toll.
Students missed getting to see their friends and participating in extracurricular activities. Sports seasons were cancelled. The theatre curtains never went up on school plays. Rites of passage such as graduation ceremonies largely fell by the wayside.
In addition, when the economy took a nosedive as the coronavirus spread, it made it hard to focus on anything but survival for many families. But even financially secure families found it challenging to provide the ideal learning environment as — in many cases — parents working from home with multiple children wrestled with carving out a physical space and a time for each person to be online.
Even now, the classes are deserted and football fields remain empty. Things are decidedly not back to normal. The School Education Department says that the decision to reopen classes for lower grades rests with the High Powered Committee, and there is no indication when that would be. For that matter, there is relatively widespread belief that “normal” will never return. No one knows what the future will hold.
What remains now is a large group of children in their formative years stuck in a type of limbo. School counsellors are uniquely positioned to provide access to many of the supports that help bolster the well-being of these students and allow them to be present and succeed, not just academically but as in life.
Despite their deceptively simple title, school counsellors can play many roles, including social and emotional educator, academic adviser, conflict mediator, wellness coach, mental health therapist, student champion, educational collaborator and family liaison.
The present diploma course on school counselling being provided by the Nagaland SCERT for teachers needs to encouraged and backed. When schools do return to “normal,” there needs to be examination of policies and practices that help getting trained counsellors in all schools of the State. Especially given the current circumstances, they will play a critical role in helping shape a group of students overcome their pandemic induced anxieties and face a changed world.
Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com
