Nihit Banerjee, son of a leading city-based doctor, would come to school in a rumpled shirt and creased trousers everyday. Slouching in one corner of the classroom, Nihit interrupted lessons by asking silly questions and making funny remarks. His erratic behaviour surprised teachers.

Vijay Deshmukh was offered commerce in Class IX despite brilliant scores in the final term of Class VIII. But his parents, both IT professionals, wanted their son to become a doctor. Vijay, who personally had no interest in science, agreed to repeat class VIII following parental pressure so that he could improve his tally and study science the next year. However, he found it demeaning to sit with his juniors in the same class and started “bunking” school. When his parents got to know of his irregular attendance, he was caned.

For bubbly Shivani, a tenth-grader in agirls’ school, life turned into a nightmare after the Teachers’ Day celebrations. The tomboyish athlete featured in a fashion show sporting a sherwani and churidar. A few days later, Shivani started receiving anonymous letters and calls from her juniors, confessing their “infatuation.”

“'I really like you. Will you be my friend? Please don’t say no.” Her phone kept ringing throughout the evening till late in the night. Shivani, with her boyish good looks, has started feeling awkward. But when a junior came up to her with a penknife saying, “I can even cut my hand for you”, she just could not take it anymore.

With rising behavioural distortion, schools are either hiring professional counsellors or are converting part of the faculty into counselling wing to beat the emotional stress. “The pressure to perform is tremendous. As a result, the children feel frustrated and it has various manifestations. With parents hardly sparing any time for children, it has become the school’s responsibility to cater to the needs of the students,” says Lalita Sareen, principal of Jamshedpur Public School, who often counsels students.

JPS has a counselling wing comprising two teachers, Pavni Rao and Soma Banerjee, along with the principal for the past six years. DBMS English School engaged a professional counsellor Meera Bugli, who took a diploma course in guidance and counselling after completing her master’s degree in psychology. Students of Motilal Nehru Public School (MNPS), Sacred Heart Convent School (SHCS) and Church School (Beldih) have also been availing of the services of trained counsellors.

But Ashok Patnaik, head of psychiatry department, Telco, contends, “When teachers and parents should be the pillars of strength, why do we require counsellors?” Patnaik acknowledges the need for counselling. “Fierce and aggressive competition, role diffusion — an identity crisis among students — and lack of role models make counselling necessary. Besides, parents need to devote time to children,” avers Patnaik.