A sharp increase in reports of violence within schools and hostels in Bhubaneswar and across Odisha has cast a harsh spotlight on the urgent need to establish a robust, dedicated counselling and mentoring system in educational institutions. This provision, a key mandate of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, remains inadequately implemented, raising concerns about student safety and well-being.
The Implementation Gap in Counselling Mandates
While counselling is formally a part of the school education framework, its effective execution is severely hampered by a chronic shortage of adequate teaching and specialist staff. The NEP 2020 clearly advocates for the integration of well-trained social workers, counsellors, and community involvement into the schooling system—be it ICSE, CBSE, or state boards—to provide essential socio-emotional support and mentoring to students. The policy stresses that every institution must have systems to manage student stress and emotional adjustments, especially at the secondary and senior secondary levels.
Officials from both the School and Mass Education (SME) department and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) & Scheduled Castes (SC) Development Department confirm that life-skill training and counselling are integrated into the system. However, they openly admit that the frequency of such sessions is inconsistent and irregular. An official from the ST & SC development department explained that government personnel like child protection officers, Childline members, and social activists are engaged to counsel students, with a particular focus on ST and SC pupils. Teachers are also given training to identify warning signs in a student's behaviour.
"But the frequency of the counselling sessions differs owing to teachers’ vacancies," the official noted, pinpointing a core structural problem.
Overburdened Staff and Systemic Shortfalls
The crisis is particularly acute in tribal school hostels, which have witnessed a frequent recurrence of such incidents in recent years. Here, teachers are often forced to take on the additional role of assistant superintendents, responsible for student safety and overall hostel management. This dual responsibility stretches them thin.
The staffing ratio reveals a grim picture: while a hostel typically houses a minimum of 200 students, management oversight often falls to just one teacher, supported by one cook-cum-attendant for every 50 students. These teachers are also saddled with significant non-academic duties. "Under these circumstances, it is not possible for a teacher to check behavioural changes in every student, counsel them for their mental health, or identify red flags in them," stated a representative of the ST & SC Schools Teachers’ Association.
Expert Insight on Adolescent Psychology and Solutions
Dr. Biswa Ranjan Mishra, Head of Psychiatry at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, provided crucial psychological context to the issue. He explained that adolescents or children in early adolescence are in a transitional phase, often confused about their identity and role. "They are not mentally mature. Aggression is natural in them but if not channelled in the proper direction, the consequences are worrisome," Dr. Mishra warned.
He proposed a practical and constructive solution: diverting the energy of teenage children in school hostels towards sports and physical activities. This channeling of energy, combined with consistent professional guidance, is seen as vital for positive development.
The rising incidents of violence serve as a stark reminder that the vision of NEP 2020 for student support must move from paper to practice. Bridging the gap between policy mandate and ground-level implementation through dedicated counsellors, better staff-to-student ratios, and structured extracurricular engagement is now an imperative for Odisha's educational institutions.
