Interaction on school counseling & its future prospects in Nagaland

July 8, 2023 22 Views No Comment

Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 8

An interaction on school counseling and its future prospects in Nagaland was held today at SIEMAT Hall, SCERT, Kohima.

Dr Zavise Rume, Professor & Head, Guidance & Counseling Cell, SCERT, Nagaland said in the past, counselling was not so demanding in Nagaland.

People were not aware how counselling could be used as an academic strategy to improve their performance and the quality of life.

Today, there is so much complexities, stresses and anxieties in the modern day living, he said adding “Children are experiencing all kinds of stresses, anxieties and tension in the present world of work in addition to the increasing academic competition. Students are experiencing so much stresses like examination stress and anxieties due to constant academic under-achievement, relationship crisis, and love failure, crisis in career choice, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic abuse.”

There are many other serious emotional and psychological problems that the school children are experiencing due to the self-defeating thoughts, he said and stressed on the need to focus on physiological, emotional and psychological aspects of the students rather than a normal routine exercise.

Dr. Rume said the need for professional counseling services in Nagaland has been increasingly felt due to increasing complexities of modern day living.

In view of all these, the SCERT, Nagaland has introduced a Diploma in School Counselling (initially for duration of 9 months and now extended to one year).

SCERT Nagaland was the first SCERT in the whole country to introduce this Diploma course in School Counselling with the primary objective to ensure that every school in Nagaland has professionally trained School Counsellor.

School Counselling is now universally recognized as an integral part of School Education to cater to the needs of academic, career, personal-social, mental, psychological emotional wellbeing of the students, he said.

He said that NEP 2020 envisages that professionally trained school, counselors are made available to every school.
Till today, SCERT, Nagaland has trained atleast 105 School Counsellors.

“The schools must utilize the resources of these trained school counselors available in their schools. Trained school counselors must ensure that regular counselling services are made available to their students on regular basis,” he said.

Kezhazolie Cornelius Mere, chairman, Carl Rogers Institute of Mental Health & School Counseling, Kohima also spoke at the programme.

Earlier, Bendangsashi Walling, Pastor, Ao Baptist Church, Kohima invoked God’s blessing while welcome addressed was delivered by Kevirale-ü Kerhuo Director, SCERT, Nagaland.

The programme was followed by sharing and presentations of counseling cases.