2 lakh school teachers being trained up for counseling: Dipu Moni

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni today said the government is imparting training to 200,000 secondary school teachers on student counseling to boost students' self-confidence so they can prevent social curses like suicides.

"We are providing training to 2 lakh secondary-level school teachers on student counseling under a programme," she said while speaking about trend of committing suicide among students at a view-exchange meeting with journalists at her ministry office here.

Education Reporters Association of Bangladesh (ERAB) and Education Ministry jointly organized the meeting with ERAB President Abhijit Bhattacharjya in the chair.

The minister said usually the students commit suicide due to depression as they sometimes feel academic or family pressure and unemployment problems. "So, there is no alternative to counseling to boost their self confidence," she added.

Noting that a module has been prepared by counseling experts and psychiatrists for the training programme, Dipu Moni said the government has a target of ensuring at least two expert teachers at every school across the country for students' counseling.

Speaking about university's student counseling cell, she said all universities have already student counseling cell, "but we will sit with university vice-chancellor council soon to know about the current situation of the cell and give further directives to strengthen its activities".

Asked about any possibility of changing the class time for educational institutions, the minister said, the government has taken the decision considering the overall situation like guardians' office hour, therefore there is no scope for changing the class time.

Regarding two-day weekly holiday for educational institution, Dipu Moni said, "If it would have been possible to fix Thursday and Friday as weekly holiday for schools and colleges, the capital would see less traffic for three day in a week".

But, considering the students' safety and security, the holidays have been fixed in line with the general weekly holidays, she added.

ERAB General Secretary Aktaruzzaman conducted the meeting while Advisor Rakib Uddin, former President Mushtaq Ahmed, Vice President Nuruzzaman Mamun, Joint Secretary Najiur Rahman Sohel, Organizing Secretary Murad Hossain, Treasurer Syed Altefat Hossain, Office Secretary Selim Ahmed, Publicity Secretary Rahul Sharma, Publications Secretary Tuhin Saiful, Training and Research Affairs Secretary Rumman Turjo, Sports and Social Welfare Secretary Murad Mazumdar, ICT Affairs Secretary Enamul Haque Prince, Executive Member Bibash Baroi and Abdul Hai Tuhin joined the meeting, among others.

Private Secretary to the Education Minister Abu Ali Md Shazzad Hossain and Information and Public Relation Officer MA Khair were present at the meeting, among others.