Over 1,100 counsellors have been recruited in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country after several incidents of suicides by students were reported from the residential schools, officials informed today. They added that the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) has recruited 1,176 counsellors for the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV) across the country. A total of 49 student suicides were reported in JNVs from 2013-17.

The HRD Ministry had earlier this year formed a panel to look into the incidents of suicides by students. Based on committees recommendations, the NVS, which supervises the functioning of these schools, had advertised contractual vacancies for counsellors.

"A total of 1,176 counsellors have been hired. Schools with over 250 students will have two counsellors each while others will have one counsellor," a NVS official said. The counsellors have been hired on a ten-month contract which can later be extended up to five years, the official said. The HRD Ministry had approved a budget of Rs 56 crore to hire full-time counsellors in JNVs in January this year.

JNVs are fully residential schools with classes from 6 to 12. There are over 600 JNVs in the country.