Counselors made mandatory for HCMC educational institutions

They should be hired from the next school year since more and more students are encountering psychological problems, either due to academic pressure or the impacts of the Covid pandemic, it said.

They need help to cope with these issues and prevent “unfortunate incidents,” it said.

It also instructed schools to do regular reviews to detect threats early to prevent students from being physically abused, dropping out of school or committing violations.

A survey by the ministry in late February of 341,830 students across Vietnam found 45% having health issues, including mental, after having stayed at home and studied online last year.

Physical issues included eyestrain, neck pain and tinnitus.

Le Thi Thao, deputy head of 111, the National Hotline on Child Protection run by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said during the pandemic the hotline frequently received calls on mental disorders among students.

Before Covid-19 it got around 400,000 calls a year but in 2021 the number increased by half, she said.