The government’s decision to appoint a child psychologist in every upazila to support and provide counselling to students cannot be commended enough.
It stands as a welcome indication of how children and their well-being are being prioritized and, as such, is a commitment to the future of the nation.
Children remain one of the most vulnerable groups in our country, and catering to their mental well-being will go a long way towards ensuring that they perform to their fullest abilities at school and go on to become proud Bangladeshi citizens who contribute to this nation’s progress and sustainable development.
Such a move is especially important at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has put a stop to schooling across the nation, whereby children are not getting the time and attention required to ensure that their minds are engaged in a healthy and fruitful way.
According to Education Minister Dipu Moni, the goal of the psychologists will be to train teachers in each school on mental health issues so that they “can solve various psychological problems of the students through counseling,” which will undoubtedly create a better environment in which the students can learn.
This initiative highlights the government’s focus on two very important issues: The well-being of children and mental health.
As such, we hope that this initiative, which is meant to start with a child psychologist in every district before moving on to be available in every upazila, receives the amount of resources necessary for it to take flight and does not fall through the cracks.