It has been over three months since schools had students on campus. Even as online classes continue on a daily basis, schools are now implementing mechanisms for parents and students to interact with counsellors and teachers about their concerns.

“A few weeks back, a parent approached us saying that his child was refusing to attend online classes and was confident of catching up with lessons once the school reopened. In another instance, a parent facing behavioural issues with his ward reached out to us for assistance,” said A. Lakshmi Prabha, senior principal, Prasan Vidya Mandir.

Ms. Lakshmi said they have a designated staff member to look after concerns raised by parents and students. “These range from students wanting to pass on feedback about online classes to parents wanting to be put in touch with teachers to discuss any concerns regarding their children,” she said.

Providing resources

During a regular academic year, teachers often referred students to the on-campus counsellor or spoke to students or parents and provided them with the appropriate resources. Many institutions have now taken the online route and were sending forms which can be sent to the counsellors, who in turn would reach out to them.

“Since June, our student counsellor has kept in regular touch with students and parents through phone calls. Besides, we regularly send out google forms or even broadcast messages to parents, encouraging them to reach out to us,” said Priyanka Ghosh, principal, Vikas Mantra School.

At a time when families have been grappling with various issues relating to sudden loss of employment, illness and financial distress, it is more important than ever for schools to support their students.

Echoing this belief, Amudha Ranganathan, executive director, C.K. Group of Educational Institutions, said they were connecting parents and students with counsellors through phone and were lining up programmes, including webinars, which focus on mental health.

Serious effort

“Parents generally tend to take efforts organised by schools seriously and we have a sense of responsibility to reach out to them. We are also organising sessions related to career counselling and putting our senior students in touch with experts to help them make informed decisions and not be anxious about what’s ahead,” she said.

The recently released Pragyata Guidelines for digital education by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development mentions the need for schools to be aware of and ensure the mental well-being of their students as well. Teachers have been asked to connect students to counsellors in case they find that the students are anxious, stressed or raise other concerns to them.