The High Court has issued a rule asking the government why it should not be ordered to appoint counsellors or clinical psychologists in all the educational institutions in the country.
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 given four weeks to respond.
The order by the bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman came on Sunday (Jan 5) after hearing a petition seeking the court's order.
On Nov 24, by Supreme Court lawyer Farhad Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan filed the petition, which says the laxity in appointing counsellors and clinical psychologists is in conflict with Sections 17, 18 and 32 of the Constitution.
It said that it was the state’s responsibility to adopt effective measures to ensure education and health care for the citizens. However, drug abuse, suicide attempts, sexual harassment have increased alarmingly.
The petition said that Section 15 (as) says, “it shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its citizens -the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care,” while section 32 provisions that “no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.”