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Madurai City Corporation has established counselling centres in Corporation schools with the aim of improving the mental health of the students. Corporation officials said mental health counsellor has been appointed by the Corporation to identify problems such as suicidal ideation, mental stress (depression/anxiety), and low academic scores seen among school students, and to provide them with the necessary mental health counselling. Through this, students would have the opportunity to express their feelings and receive expert advice. For this purpose, J. Malai Mathi, Education Programme Coordinator, said, the counsellor would meet and counsel the students directly every day at the Madurai Corporation’s High Schools and Higher Secondary Schools. She added that the counsellor would be visiting Corporation E.V.R. Girls’ Higher Secondary School from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Corporation Manimegalai Girls’ Higher Secondary School on Tuesdays, Corporation Maraimalai Adigal Boys’ Higher Secondary School on Wednesdays, Thiru.Vi.Ka. Corporation Higher Secondary School on Thursdays, and Corporation Elango Higher Secondary School at Shenoy Nagar on Fridays of all weeks a month. “If necessary, other Corporation schools can also bring their students to the schools with parental consent to receive mental health counselling,” she noted. Ms. Malai Mathi noted that the counselling sessions would be an excellent opportunity to identify students who require mental health counselling. As the cooperation of headmasters, teachers, parents, and the School Management Committee (SMC) in Corporation schools were sought for the programme, she said, it would eventually improve the performance of students through providing them with the necessary guidance.
