Students, parents to be counselled before reopening of colleges in TN

Chennai

However, Chief Minister MK Stalin has directed the state health department to provide counselling to parents and students before the reopening of colleges. The counselling is mainly directed at students and parents who were affected by the pandemic and those whose close relatives have died due to the disease in the first and second waves.

The process regarding the counselling has not yet been worked out, but following suggestions state health minister, Ma Subramanian, on instructions from Chief Minister MK Stalin has already directed the department to prepare a blueprint of the counselling process to be adopted. The State Health department has already put on alert several counsellors registered and empanelled with the state health department and is also expected to garner the support of counsellors in the private sector. Biju R Thomas, professor in a leading Government Arts and Science college in Salem said: “It is high time, colleges are reopened. But the education department and the state health department must take proper preventive measures before doing this. “There are several students and their parents who are still under fear psychosis following the death of a close relative due to the pandemic and such parents would not allow their wards to colleges. They have to be given proper counseling and assurance by the state health department, who is learned to be preparing for this massive exercise.”