Kreetika Kumar 
The National Substance Abuse Advisory Council is moving to establish stronger mental health support systems in schools to address growing concerns about drug use, violence, and self-harm among students.
Acting Chief Executive Josua Naisele says counselling sessions have revealed a deeper issue among students.
Naisele says the Council is working closely with the Ministry of Education to push for more qualified counsellors in schools, especially at the district level.
“We need the people who are well qualified to address the students and help them recover from whatever they are going through. And instead of doing more harm, so we need people who are properly trained to do that. And I believe that is one way forward that we will definitely take it up again with the Ministry, so that they can see how they, when they are promoting certain individuals to senior position.”
[Photo Credit: Parliament of Fiji/ Facebook]
Currently, only four divisional counsellors serve the entire country, one in each division.
To ensure broader access, the Council aims to appoint district-level counsellors across all nine education jurisdictions.
Naisele adds that the Council also offers basic counselling and communication skills training for teachers to better support students until qualified professionals are widely available.
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