Lok Sabha Question No. 2351 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-31
Subject: Counselling Facilities in Schools
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: MAHEISH GIRRI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2351 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2017

## Counselling Facilities in Schools

## 2351.    SHRI MAHEISH GIRRI:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) has provided guidelines to allow healthy development of school students and also for providing counselling and guidance facility for elementary, secondary and higher secondary stages;
- (b) if so, the details of the roles and responsibilities of the State Governments in implementing the same; and
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  that  every  school  has  atleast  one  male teacher and two female teachers trained in counselling and guidance?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

- (a) Yes Madam, the National  Curriculum  Framework  (NCF)  2005  provides  guidelines  for  facilitating healthy growth and development of students across all school stages and for guidance/counselling at each of these school stages from elementary through secondary and higher secondary stages.

(b)  &  (c)  The  NCF-2005  delineates  the  responsibilities  of  states  to  augment  guidance  and  counselling services. The NCF-2005 was shared in the year 2006 with all the States/UTs and they were advised to initiate curriculum and systemic reform. Guidelines for revision of syllabus and textbooks were also sent to all the states/UTs.

Further,  the  Centrally  sponsored  scheme  of  Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA)  was launched in the year 2009 and the Framework for Implementation of RMSA recognizes the role of guidance and counselling services in promoting student retention and better scholastic performance in curricular areas, facilitating  adjustment  and  career  development  of  students,  developing  right  attitude  towards  studies,  self, work and others. The Framework provides that every school should have at least one teacher and preferably two teachers (one male and one female) trained in guidance and counselling. The in-service teacher training under RMSA has incorporated a module on counselling.

In  addition,  NCERT  offers  Diploma  Course  in  Guidance  and  Counselling  to  train  professional counsellors to work in schools in order to provide assistance to adolescents/youth to cope with the stress due to day-to-day problems, study related pressures, examination anxiety, peer and family related problems, choices of courses and career etc.   NCERT is now augmenting efforts by training teachers to work as mentors rather than  only  subject  experts  and  to  use  counselling  skills  to  help  students  deal  with  their  personal,  social  and academic  problems.  Teachers  deputed  by  various  State  Departments  of  Education,  Central  Government Teachers from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) are attending this  diploma  course  at  NIE,  NCERT,  New  Delhi  and  Regional  Institutes  of  Education  at  Ajmer,  Bhopal, Bhubaneswar,  Mysore  and  Shillong.  Trained  counsellors  are  already  being  employed  by  the  Kendriya Vidyalaya  Sangathan  (KVS),  State  Department  of  Education  and  private  schools  to  provide  guidance  and counselling services to students. JNVs are also arranging counselling classes through teachers who are trained by  Regional  Institute  of  Educations  (RIEs)  or  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  and  Training (NCERT).  Kendriya  Vidyalaya  Sangathan  (KVS)  has  a  provision  for  appointment  of  Counsellors  on contractual basis in the Kendriya Vidyalayas for providing Guidance & Counselling services to classes IX to XII.

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