OF THE DISCIPLINE OF PSYCHOLOGY RECEIVING SUITED GRAVITY IN INDIA’S EDUCATION POLICY

OF THE DISCIPLINE OF PSYCHOLOGY RECEIVING SUITED GRAVITY IN INDIA'S EDUCATION POLICY

As I began to ponder upon the impacts of the Draft National Education Policy (DNEP 2019) on the discipline of Psychology, I instinctively assumed, as most students who quite "harmlessly" procrastinated would, the first step of searching for a few keywords in the 484 paged document.  These keywords were, 'psychology/psychologist', 'mental health', 'counselling/counsellor' and 'therapy/therapist'.  The words 'psychology/psychologist' were used 12/0 times (with psycho-social environment and psycho-social well-being being appropriately referred to once each, the word 'psychological being used five times in appropriate contexts, and 'psychometric experts' and 'psychometricians' referred to appropriately once each).  The words 'mental health' were used seven times in appropriate context (with mental capacity and mental sport being referred to once each, appropriately).  The words 'counselling/counsellor' were used 13/30 times appropriately (with the term 'counsel' being used once appropriately as well) and 'therapy/therapist' were used once each, appropriately again (Committee for Draft National Education Policy, 2019).

The next stop on this yellow brick road of procrastination (p-road-crastination, if you may) was to investigate the number of times these words appeared, in appropriate contexts, in the previous education policies of India.

In the first ever education policy, only the word 'mental' (of mental health with regard to my search) was used in the context of "mentally handicapped children" in Section 4(e).  Here, it was posited that equal opportunity for education be provided to children with physical and intellectual disabilities (Kothari Commission, 1968).  It is interesting to note that even in the context of children with intellectual disability, there was no mention of special education.  None of the other keywords of my interest made an appearance.  This could be justified keeping in mind the history of Psychology in India.  The first Department of Psychology was established at Calcutta University in only 1915 by Dr. NN Sengupta (Pinto, 2014).  By the year 1968, it was very likely still in its infancy as it is nearing, what I believe, is early adolescence now.  I assert this idea with regard to Stanley Hall's affirmation of adolescence being a period of "storm and stress" wherein psychology in India is vigorously growing in the recent past (almost rebelliously), just like how and adolescent would engage in risk taking behaviours (Hall, 1904).

In the 1986 National Policy on Education, which was then modified under the PV Narsimha Rao government, there is mention of removing "psycho-social impediments" that students from Scheduled Tribes possess.  There is mention of focus on mental development of children during Early Childhood Care and Education.  Counselling is mentioned once in the context of career guidance (Ministry of Education, 1992).  I do, however, salute the committee for the beginning of giving any importance to the psychological human need in the field of education, though one must wonder why the prominence of the field was still lacking in Indian education decades after its establishment as a practice by way of the Indian Psychoanalytic Society by Dr. Girindra Shekar Bose in 1922 (Jose, 2014).

I was intrigued to find that the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of India currently does not make the 2016 revision headed by the then Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani available on their official website currently.  The 43 paged document which is available, though difficult to locate, can be found in other more informal resources.  The document titled 'Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016' mentions the word 'psychologist' in context of student support wherein a sub-committee of experts is proposed for inclusive education.  The words 'counsellors/counselling' have been used a total of three times, though in the appropriate context, but only briefly.  The document speaks of the 'mental' development of children again, once, and there is no mention of 'therapy/therapists' (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2016).  Considering how this was only a year before the Mental Health Act was passed and four years after CBSE advising its affiliated schools to employ counsellors, it is condemnable that the need for the focus on children's psychological health was not appropriately addressed by the Government (Central Board of Secondary Education, 2012).  In 2015, the National Council of Educational Research and Training also published a detailed document with guidelines for school counselling in India (Department of Educational Psychology & Foundations of Education & RMSA Project Cell, 2015).

The DNEP 2019, in this regard, must be appreciated for giving the mental health of children its due diligence.  When implemented, the policy will have far-reaching implications on the discipline of Psychology.

The Impact of the DNEP 2019 on the Discipline of Psychology

               Though the Policy does not mandate the employment of Counsellors or Psychologists in educational institutions, it strongly and repeatedly refers to the important functions that the professionals would be required to carry out.  Two primary roles have been charted by the policy for professional psychologists, i.e. to provide career guidance, and to focus on the mental health of students.  There is strong emphasis on providing students the emotional support they require in order to flourish in academic institutions which inadvertently will result in them thriving in life.  This is admirable.  In order to fulfill this demand, more-and-more educational institutions would employ psychologists, thus creating more jobs for students of Psychology.  I believe, this would once and for all answer the question most parents who come looking for admissions at the higher secondary level of education ask, "Lekin Psychology ka 'scope' kya hai?".  With the creation of jobs, not only is our economy given the gift of growth, but students could become increasingly motivated to pursue the discipline of Psychology.  Having more humanitarians and self-aware (and "other-aware") psychologists, one does not need to explain, will have larger consequences on our present-day society of citizens as well.

The Policy also postulates the added step of psychometric assessment with regard to the National Testing Agency.  Though I believe it would be seasonal, this too would create employment opportunities for psychologists.  In my observation, psychometric assessment in India is still in its infancy with a significant chunk of the same being limited to the armed forces and some multinational organisations.  With the NTA taking charge of admission to all higher education as propounded by the Policy (another commendable move, in my opinion), many more students of psychology would be inclined to pursue a career in psychometric assessment.

One of the most laudable assertions of the DNEP 2019 is its accentuation of research.  With rigor in research taking the foreground in education, both by way of encouraging teaching faculty to engage in the research process to stay current and promoting the same among more students, the contribution to the development of the academic community in India could be exceptional.  As I mentioned before, I believe Psychology in India is in its early adolescence, and inspiring students to enroll in research programmes by way of supporting them through the predicated National Research Foundation would help amplify the rate of development of the discipline of Psychology in India.

My Reviews on Gaps in the Policy Regarding the Discipline of Psychology

The Policy must in detail provide guidelines for training of counsellors.  With there being no all-encompassing governing or licensing body for school counsellors (the unfortunate fact that the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 does not even mention counsellors as mental health practitioners/professionals), the nation's policy on education would be a great and fitting platform to spark the beginning of what would only be a revolutionary milestone in the history and painstakingly slow evolution of Psychology in India.

I recently became aware of the Faculty Counsellor at Christ (Deemed to be University), a job role I personally heard of for the first time in a decade of being associated with the discipline of Psychology.  Only on becoming aware of the same did I began to realize the need for the same as a teacher myself.  The Policy could also put forward suggestions for mental health support of teachers and other staff in educational institutions.  Parents' mental health could also be factored in.

References

Committee for Draft National Education Policy. (2019, May 1). Draft National Education Policy 2019. Retrieved from https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/.../Draft_NEP_2019_EN_Revised.pdf

Kothari Commission. (1968). National Policy on Education. Retrieved from https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/NPE-1968.pdf

Ministry of Education. (1992, May 7). National Policy on Education. Retrieved from https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/NPE86-mod92.pdf

Pinto, A. (2014, April 1). History of Psychology in India [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://anilpinto.blogspot.com/2014/04/history-of-psychology-in-india_1.html

 Jose, D. (2014, April 3). The History of Psychology in Higher Education In India [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://anilpinto.blogspot.com/2014/04/history-of-psychology-in-india_3.html

Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2016, June). Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016. Retrieved from http://www.thehinducentre.com/multimedia/archive/02914/Inputs_Draft_NEP_2_2914295a.pdf

Central Board of Secondary Education. (2012, December 21). CBSE/PRO/Counseling/2012. Retrieved from cbse.gov.in/circulars/circular%20no%2090_2012.pdf

Department of Educational Psychology & Foundations of Education & RMSA Project Cell. (2015, January). Draft Guidance and Counselling Guidelines for States. Retrieved from www.ncert.nic.in/.../nie/.../Guidelines_for_Guidance_and_Counseling.pdf

Hall, G.S. (1904). Adolescence: Its Psychology and its Relations to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, Religion and Education. New York, NY: Appleton.