'Teachers should help shape personal lives of students'

MADURAI: With exams fast approaching, school students are beginning hectic preparations. This is the time many anxious students get into depression due to exam fear. Often the depression comes due to mounting pressure from the schools and parents, resulting in suicidal tendency among many.
In order to identify the behavioural changes among the students and nip their issues in the bud, the district child protection unit (DCPU) on Wednesday conducted a one-day workshop for government school teachers drawn from all the 13 revenue blocks in the district.
The workshop titled 'Emotional Support to Adolescents' was conducted in the city with participation of a team of psychiatrists. More than 100 teachers took part in the workshop. The suicide of a Class 9 girl student in her hostel room in a private school in Usilampatti last year had created the spark in conducting such workshop, held probably for the first time in Madurai. The girl had a stammering problem. She had ended her life after repeated teasing targeting her problem, said Madurai district child protection officer M Viviliaraja.
District collector K Veera Raghava Rao, who took part in the inauguration said the role of teachers does not end with shaping the students to excel in their profession. They also have the additional responsibility of shaping their personal life. There are many students who who go on to become successful in their professional life, but fail in their personal life. People should be successful in both and teachers play a crucial role in laying good foundation, he said.
He asked the teachers to closely monitor the students on their mental condition and changes in their behaviour. Teachers need not discuss about suicide in classes, which may have negative effect, but should play a vital role in shaping their healthy mental condition.
Viviliaraja said the workshop is need of the hour since Tamil Nadu is notorious for high suicide rates. Many suicides are reported in adolescent age category. Both parents and teachers should sit and talk to their children for some time which will help the latter to open up their minds.