Illustrative image (Source: hanoi.edu.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - The important role of counselling in schools has beenaccepted by most stakeholders, including parents, teachers and administrators,but most secondary schools and high schools do not offer this service.
Two years ago, a pilot project ofthe Hanoi Department of Education and Training, carried out in collaborationwith international NGO Plan International, opened a counselling room forstudents in 20 schools city-wide.
However, after the project ended,the schools could not afford further investment and lacked funds to pay forcounselling staff, said Hoang Thi An, headmistress of the Co Loa SecondarySchool.
An said her school was trying tofind ways to continue providing the service.
She said that for several years now,school administrators had been handling an increasing number of conflictsbetween students.
Since the school opened acounselling room in 2014, teachers were more relaxed and had become moreskilful in dealing with students and parents when problems arise, An said.
She said that in the first year ofoperation, very few students approached the counsellors because they were shyand uncertain.
“Now they come here often and alsoshare many stories about their family life, problems in friendship and alsodisagreement with teachers,” An said.
A few other schools besides the 20funded by the project have opened counselling rooms, but most have had limitedsuccess.
Pham Trong Dat, headmaster of the DinhTien Hoang High School in My Duc district said he thought a lot about it, butthe lack of funds prevented him from opening a counselling room in his school.
“It is necessary to have a place tohelp students deal with (psychological) problems…, and there are so many socialproblems entering the school,” said Nguyen Thu Huong, headmistress of the NguyenDu Secondary School.
"School managers have to dealwith many problems besides teaching, so a counselling room will be of greathelp," she said.
Moreover, not many school leadershave professional expertise in counselling, according to Huong.
Apart from the lack of funds, it isvery difficult to find good, qualified counsellors.
Dr Nguyen Tung Lam, headmaster ofthe Dinh Tien Hoang Private High School and Chairman of Hanoi EducationPsychology, said no fight had broken out between students of the school since acounselling room was established 15 years ago.
"There are always three to fourcounsellors available to help students," he said.
“The room is not just for studentsto visit for help. The counsellors are also responsible for looking out andkeeping in touch with both students and teachers, so as to prevent a conflictfrom arising,” Lâm said.
Hanoi now has 939 high schools andjunior high schools, but very few provide an in-school counselling service.
A recent survey revealed that of31,000 students in the 20 schools that were part of the pilot project, about 50percent felt safer with the counselling room. About 2,800 sought its services.
There was a sharp reduction in thepercentage of students suffering mental and physical abuse after thecounselling service was offered, the survey found.
Mental abuse went down from 63 percentto seven percent in three years.
The survey also found few studentswould go to their teachers or parents to help deal with threatening situationsif the counselling room was not available.
About 42 percent of the studentssurveyed had suffered physical violence, 68 percent had been subjected tomental abuse and 36 percent were victims of sexual violence. All of them hadkept their experiences secret and tried to find their own way out of theproblem, the survey found.
Only 30 percent of the students saidthey were willing to find teachers or cousellors when they saw violence oncampus.
Nguyen Huu Do, director of the HanoiDepartment of Education and Training, said more schools would be equipped withcounsellor rooms in the coming months.
"All schools in the city areexpected to have the service by the end of 2017," he added.
His department is studying ways tofind funds for the project so as to help schools operate effectively.
Last month, the Ministry ofEducation and Training issued a draft circular with implementation guidelinesfor providing psychological counselling in schools.
Provincial Education and TrainingDepartments would be responsible for guiding schools in opening counsellingrooms that would provide students with advice on physical and mental health,gender, education, family and social problems. — VNA
Two years ago, a pilot project ofthe Hanoi Department of Education and Training, carried out in collaborationwith international NGO Plan International, opened a counselling room forstudents in 20 schools city-wide.
However, after the project ended,the schools could not afford further investment and lacked funds to pay forcounselling staff, said Hoang Thi An, headmistress of the Co Loa SecondarySchool.
An said her school was trying tofind ways to continue providing the service.
She said that for several years now,school administrators had been handling an increasing number of conflictsbetween students.
Since the school opened acounselling room in 2014, teachers were more relaxed and had become moreskilful in dealing with students and parents when problems arise, An said.
She said that in the first year ofoperation, very few students approached the counsellors because they were shyand uncertain.
“Now they come here often and alsoshare many stories about their family life, problems in friendship and alsodisagreement with teachers,” An said.
A few other schools besides the 20funded by the project have opened counselling rooms, but most have had limitedsuccess.
Pham Trong Dat, headmaster of the DinhTien Hoang High School in My Duc district said he thought a lot about it, butthe lack of funds prevented him from opening a counselling room in his school.
“It is necessary to have a place tohelp students deal with (psychological) problems…, and there are so many socialproblems entering the school,” said Nguyen Thu Huong, headmistress of the NguyenDu Secondary School.
"School managers have to dealwith many problems besides teaching, so a counselling room will be of greathelp," she said.
Moreover, not many school leadershave professional expertise in counselling, according to Huong.
Apart from the lack of funds, it isvery difficult to find good, qualified counsellors.
Dr Nguyen Tung Lam, headmaster ofthe Dinh Tien Hoang Private High School and Chairman of Hanoi EducationPsychology, said no fight had broken out between students of the school since acounselling room was established 15 years ago.
"There are always three to fourcounsellors available to help students," he said.
“The room is not just for studentsto visit for help. The counsellors are also responsible for looking out andkeeping in touch with both students and teachers, so as to prevent a conflictfrom arising,” Lâm said.
Hanoi now has 939 high schools andjunior high schools, but very few provide an in-school counselling service.
A recent survey revealed that of31,000 students in the 20 schools that were part of the pilot project, about 50percent felt safer with the counselling room. About 2,800 sought its services.
There was a sharp reduction in thepercentage of students suffering mental and physical abuse after thecounselling service was offered, the survey found.
Mental abuse went down from 63 percentto seven percent in three years.
The survey also found few studentswould go to their teachers or parents to help deal with threatening situationsif the counselling room was not available.
About 42 percent of the studentssurveyed had suffered physical violence, 68 percent had been subjected tomental abuse and 36 percent were victims of sexual violence. All of them hadkept their experiences secret and tried to find their own way out of theproblem, the survey found.
Only 30 percent of the students saidthey were willing to find teachers or cousellors when they saw violence oncampus.
Nguyen Huu Do, director of the HanoiDepartment of Education and Training, said more schools would be equipped withcounsellor rooms in the coming months.
"All schools in the city areexpected to have the service by the end of 2017," he added.
His department is studying ways tofind funds for the project so as to help schools operate effectively.
Last month, the Ministry ofEducation and Training issued a draft circular with implementation guidelinesfor providing psychological counselling in schools.
Provincial Education and TrainingDepartments would be responsible for guiding schools in opening counsellingrooms that would provide students with advice on physical and mental health,gender, education, family and social problems. — VNA
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