Jaipur: Concerned over the rise in suicides by coaching students in Kota , the high court said the existing mechanism of counsellors seems to be insufficient and directed the government to seek the help of expert bodies like the Mental Health Foundation.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice Anil Kumar Upman gave the direction during the hearing of a suo motu PIL.
The court said counsellors have been appointed on an institutional basis and information in this regard has been collected and made available to the Monitoring Committee but it seems insufficient.
“We find that the mechanism of psychological counselling is not backed by clear provisions with regard to the eligibility/qualification of a counsellors, training, and their feedback after interaction with the students, teachers, and parents. This could be addressed more effectively by seeking the services of expert bodies like Mental Health Foundation,” observed the court
The court directed the advocate general to examine this aspect and if necessary submit suggestions as to how an effective psychological counselling mechanism could be established to take care of the situation, particularly in the districts of Kota and Sikar where a large number of coaching institutions are operating.
The court also asked the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the amicus curiae to suggest to the court, ways and means and any expert body which could carry out a case-based study and submit a report so that while framing an effective mechanism, its suggestions are also kept in view by the next date of hearing on July 20.
