THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Recent incidents of teenage students committing suicide following rebuke by teachers have put the spotlight on the need for expertise on the part of faculty members in handling volatile situations in schools. In an attempt to address the issue, the State Institute of Educational Management And Training (Siemat) has devised a training programme for teachers to tackle such issues.
The Capacity Enhancement Programme will be implemented in the Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) sector in the first phase.
As many as 389 Career Masters in VHSE schools will be provided residential training in seven batches in the capital beginning Tuesday. The teachers are called Career Masters as they specialise in counselling activities in their schools and closely deal with various student issues.The training programme will include sessions on ‘self-awareness’ and various adolescent issues.
The participants will also undergo yoga and meditation sessions. How to keep healthy boundaries in interpersonal relationships will be another focus area.“The programme will also make teachers aware of various topical issues including the pros and cons of social media and its impact on children,” said M A Lal, director of Siemat-Kerala.“Instead of confining it into a mere training session, we will also utilise it as an opportunity to draw distinct plans of action by each participating teacher for his or her school,” he said.
Experts who will lead the sessions include Dr S Vinod Kumar, head of the School of Behavioural Sciences, Kannur University; Dr Mohan Roy, psychiatrist, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, and Dr Kirankumar S, psychiatrist, Mental Health Centre, Thiruva -nanthapuram.Noted clinical psychologists Dr Justine Padamadan and Dr Ajith P R will also handle sessions. Educators Prof V Reghu, Pramod S K and A M Riays will handle the academic aspects.
The programme will have clear follow-up after six to eight months when Siemat officials will conduct an impact study on how the plan of action has worked in the schools concerned.Improvements if any will be made on the action plan and will be reintroduced for better efficacy.