Psycho -social support to school children

While referring o the decision of the UT Government for opening schools and other educational institutions in these columns, we dealt with how personality development traits of school going children and the school environment were correlated. The fact that a sort of isolation and absence of socialising , interaction, playing , pranks, running , smiling , sharing lunch etc on account of being confined to the four walls of the home due to COVID virus pandemic , does affect a child emotionally and even mentally though silently which needs to be addressed.
In this connection, creating more than 1000 “Happiness Zones” in as many Governmental schools in Jammu to provide safe and psychologically comfortable space for children, is a commendable decision , rather first of such a type of initiative, taken by the Directorate of School Education, Jammu. Those trained faculty members and others who are acquainted with Manodarpan guidelines can and are expected to provide counselling , encouragement , injecting enthusiasm and mental well being among the children, especially of the sensitive critical age group, studying in middle to Higher Secondary standard levels. Free and unhindered interaction between the students and the designated faculty members discussing even individual concerns can result in most encouraging results. In simple common parlance, as economic activities opened up steadily to reach normal levels , same way the children have to “open” up to reach the pre-COVID levels of normal activities for which they need the support of the kind under reference.