UGC Urges Universities to set up students counselling system

Nodal higher education body University Grant Commission (UGC) has written to all universities to put in place a "student counselling system" for redressal of problems and challenges faced by students in view of the increasing suicide and student agitation across the country.

“This system should be interactive and target-oriented, involving students, teachers and parents to address common student concerns ranging from anxiety, stress, fear of change and failure to homesickness and other academic worries,” writes top official of UGC in a letter to vice-chancellors of all universities.

All higher education institutions have to "mandatorily" put in place a broad-based "student counselling system". These guidelines have already been communicated to universities last year,” he said in the letter further.

“Teacher counselors, trained to act as the guardians of students at the college level, should remain in close touch with the students allotted to them (batch of 25 students) throughout the year, cater to their emotional and intellectual needs and guide them to move up in their career at regular interval of time, said the letter further.

In the students counselling centres set up in universities and colleges affiliated to them, services of a trained psychologist may be used as and when required.

It is be noted that in view of death of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University earlier this month had triggered much outrage after which the HRD ministry had announced that it would take steps including sensitizing administrations.

Earlier UGC had asked universities to observe January 30 as Martyrs' Day and celebrate "Matribhasha Diwas" on 21.