Not enough career counsellors in Maharashtra

The state has failed to provide full-time career counsellors for the secondary and higher secondary students in the science stream.

Currently, Maharashtra has only 476 career counsellors for over 19,000 schools across the state. Mumbai has maximum number of counsellors (100), followed by Pune and Kolhapur (with 85 each).

State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT) imparts training to secondary teachers from government-aided schools as counsellors. However, these teachers are given extra work of counselling along with their daily duties such as teaching, conducting examination, checking exam papers and giving out results. Apparently, the state government has no provision to appoint full-time counsellors.

“The very purpose of counselling the students for careers is being
defeated, as the teachers assigned to counsel the students are unable to devote time. The state must appoint full-time counsellors,” said an official of the SCERT.

Incidentally, SCERT institute gives training to 30 teachers as counsellors every year. The teachers are selected as counsellors after the teachers undergo a one-year career counselling course. The course is imparted to teachers at Mumbai on a stipend of Rs750/month.

Pune division of SCERT joint director HR Shinde said that the training of the new batch was underway and these counsellors would return to the schools in June.

Higher and technical education minister Rajesh Tope said that the state is thinking of directing the college managements to appoint counsellors. He said it would help students open up about problems they face. It will soon be made compulsory.