Under the ‘Manavar Manasu’ scheme, the Tamil Nadu government will appoint 800 doctors to provide psychological counselling to school students. State School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said in a statement on July 26 that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will officially launch the project on July 27.
Poyyamozhi stated that the project would assist students in improving their mental health amid adolescent issues, study pressure, peer pressure, and other issues related to behavioural changes in children.
When the idea came to take such initiative
The school education department has taken such an initiative after two students committed suicide due to the stress of their studies. The suicide of a Plus two students at a private residential school in Kallakurichi sparked massive protests, resulting in vandalism of the school and the torching of school buses and police vehicles, causing major unrest in Kallakurichi and neighbouring Villupuram districts.
Meanwhile, the suicide of another student at a private residential school in Tiruvallur on Monday has sparked outrage in the area, with the child’s parents and relatives refusing to accept the body until a proper investigation is conducted.
Online classes to start
The school education minister also stated that the vandalised Kallakurichi school would begin online classes on July 27. He also stated that talks are underway with nearby schools to accommodate students from the vandalised Kallakurichi Shakthi residential school.
Poyyamozhi also stated that several certificates of both students and teachers were lost during the arson and rioting at the school, and that the state government has taken steps to provide duplicate certificates to all those who have lost their certificates.
