Education Adviser Professor Dr Chowdhury Rafiq Abrar has called on the University Grants Commission (UGC) and universities across the country to take broader and more effective initiatives to protect students’ social and mental health.
The adviser made the remarks on Monday evening at a discussion meeting on the “Social and Mental Health Protection” project, held at a hotel in the capital.
The education adviser said, “Students injured during the July mass uprising need close and sustained care to recover from trauma.”
He added that UNESCO’s Social and Mental Health Protection Project would help young people overcome the psychological impact of the July movement. Universities must expand such programmes on a wider and more sustainable scale, he said.
UGC Chairman Professor Dr SMA Faiz said, “The courageous role of students during the July movement had brought visible change to society.”
He said the UGC would continue its efforts to support students injured in the uprising and help them recover from hardship and trauma.
He also expressed gratitude to UNESCO for launching the Social and Mental Health Protection Project for the welfare of students.
UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Susan Vize noted the project would play a vital role in helping young people cope with different forms of trauma. She stressed the need for joint efforts to bring structural changes in universities and strengthen youth protection.
She also added, “Implementing mental health policies in Bangladesh remained more challenging than drafting them.”
Speaking as the chief guest, the education adviser reiterated that UNESCO’s initiative would help the young generation overcome trauma from the July movement. He said universities must expand such programmes and adopt long-term, sustainable measures to safeguard student wellbeing.
Under the Social and Mental Health Protection Project, mental health support services have reached 10,000 students from 22 public and private universities.
The project has also raised awareness among 20,000 students through social media campaigns. Authorities launched the initiative to improve university students’ mental health in the aftermath of the July mass uprising, says the press release.
UGC members Professor Dr Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Professor Dr Md Saidur Rahman, Professor Dr Masuma Habib and Professor Dr Mohammad Ayub Islam attended the meeting.
Jasmine Parvin, acting director of UGC’s International Cooperation Division, and Alif Rudaba, additional secretary (University) of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, were also present at the event.
