Telangana: Meditation, yoga must for junior colleges

In a proceeding issued by Department of Intermediate Education, college managements have been instructed to employ professional counsellors to counsel students regularly

Hyderabad: Following a spate of suicides among students, all junior colleges, including government, private and corporate, have been instructed to introduce meditation, yoga and relaxation exercises in the daily schedule of students. Games and sports in the evening have also been made mandatory for students.

In a proceeding issued by the Department of Intermediate Education, college managements have been instructed to employ professional counsellors to counsel students regularly. The counselling is to be blended with fact-finding exercises, with a scope for the development of remedial measures for the emotional and physical well-being of students.

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College managements have also been instructed not just to keep a close watch on students’ academic performance but also to look out for any clues of psychological pressure. They have been told to arrange extension lectures with experts in areas such as building self-confidence, coping with anxiety, failure and success, improving concentration and career counselling.

The department has directed colleges to strictly follow the academic calendar and working hours issued by the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TS BIE). It has told managements to convene a meeting with parents once a month to ascertain their expectations and their wards’ feelings, besides suggesting remedial steps where required.

Stating that overcrowding of hostels was one of the reasons for stress among students, the department asked junior colleges to ensure a limited number of students in a room and provide a sufficient number of washrooms.

Apart from ensuring proper infrastructure, i.e., sufficient space in classrooms with proper lighting, ventilation and furniture, the department wanted colleges to strictly adhere to the BIE’s stipulation on the number of students in each classroom.