SRINAGAR: School Education department on Tuesday said that they will start online career and mental health counselling for students in order to reduce their mental stress and keep them engaged with studies during the lockdown period. This was stated by Principal Secretary, School Education Asgar Samoon in a meeting which was attended by Director School Education Kashmir Younis Ahmed Malik, besides SPD, Samagra Shiksha, Arun Manhas, Director School Education Jammu, Anuradha Gupta, Joint Directors and Chief Education Officers of J&K attended through video conference.

“Principal Secretary launched Manzilen-career guidance module for students, which has been prepared by School Education Department in association with a NGO,” the statement said. Stressing on the need for keeping children engaged with different activities and learning during the lockdown, Samoon directed the Directorate School Education Kashmir (DSEK) to engage experts from health department, UNICEF, NIMHANS and career counsellors for counselling and guidance of students. He asked them to engage with students and their parents by holding virtual interaction sessions on social networking sites like WhatsApp. He urged all the field officers of the department to reach out to the students through digital platforms during the prevailing circumstance, so that students do not face difficulties in their studies while being confined to their homes during the lockdown period.

He expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the Directorates of School Education Jammu and Kashmir in making online platforms of learning available to the students and providing the students, teachers and parents with proper counselling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Samoon asked UNICEF to come forward amid the Covid-19 pandemic situation and provide the department with masks and sanitisers so that the volunteers of Education department, who are presently out in the field, do not face any difficulty in assisting the Divisional and District administrations. “During the meeting the Principal Secretary was informed about the progress achieved in the conversion of RRETs into teacher grade II and Grade III and release of their salaries,” it reads.

KR Desk