HC issues rule on appointment of psychologists at educational instts

The High Court (HC) today issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be directed to appoint counsellors or clinical psychologists at all educational institutions across the country in order to develop students’ morality.

Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) and secretaries to the ministries of education, public administration, health and primary and mass education, and director general of Directorate of Education have been made respondents to the rule.

The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came up with the rule following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Farhad Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan seeking necessary order.

He filed the writ petition with the HC on November 24 saying that at present morality of the students has deteriorated so much due to use of information technology.

Drug addiction, sexual harassment, suicide, killing, personality crisis, instability and chaos are taking place at the academic institutions due to the moral degradation, the lawyer said in the petition.

According to the Constitution of the country, the state is responsible to ensure its people’s sound health and build an active manpower but the students are being deprived of such facilities.

Therefore, a counsellor or clinical psychologist needs to be appointed at all academic institutions in order to develop morality among the students and resist moral degradation, the petitioner said.