28 January,2010 09:08 AM IST | | Alifiya Khan
After two years of successful run, district administration halts funds to programme that reaches over 1,000 students
Three students have committed suicide in the city in the past two weeks. One tried and failed. Doctors across the state have sounded the warning bell on student suicides especially with exams around the corner.
And at such a time, the district administration has decided to stop funding the only mental health-counselling programme for students being run in over 100 PMC schools.
Starting 2011, the funding to a programme in PMC schools being run by Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) is to be discontinued. Director of MIMH, Dr Alka Pawar said the attitude of the authorities is shocking, especially given the spate of student suicides.
200 cases detected
"In two years of working with PMC schools, we identified over 200 children with specific mental health problems ranging from depression, mental retardation, attention deficit disorders and physical and psychological abuse.
Such children need help and intervention, especially now. Instead of strengthening the programme and expanding it, the authorities are shutting it down," said Pawar.
In 2008, the programme reached out to 35 schools and 1,100 school children, of which 131 were found to have mental health issues.
In 2009, of the 2,100 students screened in 75 schools, 52 needed intervention.
Besides counselling students, the volunteers of the institute also paid home visits and regularly counseled parents of students who needed intervention.
The institute also trained some teachers in the schools.
