News That Matters: Full-Time School Counsellors Missing in TN Schools
Even though the Madras High Court ordered it 8 years ago, many government, corporation, and municipality schools in Tamil Nadu still don’t have full-time counsellors. The Times of India
Some schools have contract psychologists just for high/higher secondary or occasional sessions, but many kids never have consistent emotional support. The Times of India
⚠️ What Happens When Schools Lack Counsellors
- Students may feel alone with their worries, anxiety, failures. No safe person to talk to.
- Emotional or mental health issues can escalate—bullying, depression, dropping out, low self-esteem.
- Teachers are overburdened trying to fill that gap, even though they aren’t trained counsellors. The Hindu
- Without regular support, resilience doesn’t build. Students miss learning to handle stress, emotions early on.
🌱Why There Are So Few Counsellors
- Budget / funding constraints for hiring trained, full-time counsellors.
- Contract or part-time roles are easier to fill but don’t give stability or continuous support.
- Shortage of qualified counsellors / psychologists.
- Possibly low priority given to mental health versus academic metrics.
💡 The NuroSpark Way Forward
At NuroSpark, we believe mental health = student success. Here’s what we propose:
- Advocate for permanent counsellor positions in every school. Not “once a week” but daily presence.
- Training programmes for teachers to identify early emotional distress and to provide basic support until a counsellor is available.
- Collaborations with government & NGOs to deploy counsellors, share resources, and set up mental health infrastructure in rural/underserved schools.
- Curriculum integration: Include emotional resilience, mindfulness, and stress management skills in regular school syllabi.
- Every child deserves someone who listens. Without full-time counsellors, we leave too many voices unheard. Let’s push for change—together.