Pune: The School Education Department has issued guidelines to reduce the additional stress on students in schools and private tutoring classes in the state. According to these instructions, a district-level monitoring committee will be formed under the chairmanship of the District Collector to resolve complaints, and some restrictions have also been imposed on private tutoring classes. This government decision has been issued in the backdrop of the court's order regarding the petition in the Supreme Court.
The district-level monitoring committee to be formed under the chairmanship of the District Collector will have the Joint Director of Higher and Technical Education, Secondary Education Officer, District Surgeon, and District Women and Child Development Officer as members. Also, social workers and child psychologists appointed with the approval of the District Collector will work as nominated members.
“At least one qualified counsellor or psychologist should be appointed in institutions with a class size of one hundred or more students, and help from external mental health professionals should be sought in places with a student population of less than one hundred,” the Education Department has instructed.
Private tutoring classes will have to set up a grievance redressal mechanism within a month. The School Education Department has instructed to prominently display the information about this system on the official website and at the place of business. The method of registering a complaint in the grievance redressal system, the responsible officer and the procedure for redressal of complaints will have to be determined.
Training by a certified mental health professional twice a year will be mandatory for teachers and staff working in all educational institutions. A written procedure for immediate referral to mental health services, hospitals and suicide prevention helplines will have to be prepared and implemented in all educational institutions. It is mandatory to prominently display the telemedicine and suicide prevention helpline numbers in hostels, classrooms, common areas and on the website of the tutoring class.
Special instructions have been given for tutoring classes. The schedule should be such that there is no stress on the students. Students, teachers and trainers must be given at least one holiday a week. No assessment test or exam should be taken on the second day of a holiday. Tutoring classes should not exceed five hours a day. Classes should not be held too early in the morning or too late in the evening.
It is mandatory for institutions and tutoring classes with an admission of more than 100 students to appoint a counsellor and establish a grievance redressal mechanism. Activities should be implemented for the all-round development and capacity building of students. Every private tutoring class should create an effective counselling system. The results of evaluation tests should not be announced publicly. The importance of positive parenting should be highlighted for parents.
The Education Department has made an important suggestion under the title ‘No guarantee of success in competitive exams’. It has instructed private tutors to clearly inform students and parents that getting admission in private tutoring classes does not guarantee admission to institutions like medical, engineering, management, law or success in competitive exams.
It is expected that these guidelines will help reduce academic stress on students and take care of their mental health. District-level committees will implement these instructions and redress complaints. Private tutoring classes will also be required to follow these rules. This will bring more positivity to the educational environment.
