Lok Sabha Question No. 5154 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-04
Subject: Mental Health of Students in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Geetha Viswanath Vanga

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5154 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.04.2022

## Mental Health of Students in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

## 5154.  SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether teachers and counsellors are helping students build their mental strength, shed fear and find workable solutions; and

(b) if so, the details thereof particularly progress made in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) and (b): The Ministry of Education has undertaken an initiative, named, 'Manodarpan', covering a wide range of activities to provide psychosocial support to students, teachers and families for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing during the COVID outbreak and beyond. A  Working  Group,  having  experts  from  the  fields of education, mental health and psychosocial issues as its members, has been set up to monitor and promote the mental health issues and concerns of students and to facilitate providing of support to address the mental health and psychosocial aspects during and after COVID-19 lockdown, through counselling services, online resources and helpline.   Under the Manodarpan initiative a Web page (URL: http://manodarpan.education.gov.in) has been created on  the Ministry of Education website carrying  advisory  guidelines,  Frequently  Asked  Questions  (FAQs),  Practical  tips,  posters, videos,  do's  and  don'ts  for  students,  teachers/faculty  and  families  for  psychosocial  support have been uploaded on the Web-page.   A National Toll-free Helpline ( 8448440632 )  for  a country-wide  outreach  to  students  from  schools,  colleges  and  universities  to  provide  them tele-counselling  to  address  their  mental  health  and  psychosocial  issues  during  and  after  the COVID-19 situation has been set up, which has been functional since 21 st July, 2020.  All the State  and  Union  Territory  Governments  were  advised  to  give  wide  publicity  to  the Manodarpan  initiative  of  this  Ministry  so  that  the  interested  students/teachers/parent  could make full use of these services.

The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  and  Training  (NCERT)  has  been engaged in strengthening the capacity of teachers and counsellors to extend the support to the students for their emotional and mental well-being, help to deal with fear and find ways of dealing with these. NCERT offers the Diploma Course in Guidance and Counselling (DCGC) with teacher counsellor model so that such teacher apart from teaching can also extend help to students in dealing with academic, personal and career-related issues.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) provides pre and post examination tele-counselling  facilities  through  centralized  toll-free  helpline.  The  Board  has  published material on how to be stress free. Audio-visual presentations on issues affecting mental health during  this  crisis  have  been  made  available  on  official  YouTube  and  Facebook  handles  of CBSE.  The  Kendriya  Vidyalaya  Sangathan  (KVS)  have  engaged  counsellors  who  help students to deal with the various mental health related issues.  Teachers are trained through workshop/training  programmes  to  help  students  in  building  mental  strength,  shed  fear  and find workable  solutions. The  Navodaya  Vidyalaya  Samiti  (NVS)  has  also  engaged counsellors  in each Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) for helping students in this regard. Teachers and counsellors are helping students  to  build their  mental  strength,  shed  fear  and find workable solutions in all the JNVs, including JNVs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and the majority of the schools are under the jurisdiction of the State/Union Territory (UT) Governments, it is for the respective State/UT Government to take appropriate action in the matter in their schools.

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