The demand for school psychologists in Bangladesh is increasing day by day. The country seeks to meet its goal of universal basic education by 2015.
The current educational system in Bangladesh has been criticized by many as failing the country’s growing workforce. The primary concerns are the quality of education offered in most of the country’s schools and the low enrolment of girls and the less privileged.
Students are also rarely encouraged to engage in learning beyond the curriculum, and there is a lack of opportunities to develop independent learning skills and transfer knowledge between subjects.
Bangladesh is a developing country. The standard of living is low, and people live in small villages and walk long distances to get to work.
There are no high-rises, and many houses are little more than huts. This means that many children start their formal education at the age of 6. This is in stark contrast to the UK, where schools started around the age of 7 or 8.
It is common to see school psychologists and school counselors working in universities in the US and other developed countries for people to acquire higher education. Most of them are working as full-time employees, while some are also working as part of the faculty.
In developing countries like Bangladesh, there is a shortage of psychologists and counselors in schools since psychologists and counselors are in high demand, and increasing numbers of people are interested in their jobs.
Aim of School psychology:
School Psychology is a sub-field of Psychology. It aims to help improve the quality of teaching and learning at the school level.
School psychologists apply their knowledge about psychology to provide support, guidance, and advice to educational staff. However, if it goes wrong, it can negatively affect the student, leading to their behavior.
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Bangladesh School Psychology Society (BSPS)
The Bangladesh School Psychology Society (BSPS) may be a not-for-profit professional organization within the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
It’s an affiliated body of the Asia Pacific School Psychology Association (APSPA) and, therefore, the International School Psychology Association (ISPA).
It represents and supports faculty psychologists’ profession by advancing effective practices to market the very best standards of ethics, training, and professional practices within the provision of psychological services within the primary, secondary, and local academic institutions like schools, and madrasahs, colleges, universities in Bangladesh.
The BSPS guides topics like assessment, intervention, consultation & collaboration, and lots more.
The concept of school psychologists isn’t documented so well in Bangladesh. Although we’ve been ready to bring the difficulty of psychological state to the fore in recent years, making provisions for having psychologists in class remains uncharted territory for us.
Given the work they are doing and, therefore, the impact their work has on the mental well-being of youngsters and hence the youth, it’s of the utmost importance that we start educating ourselves, the policy-makers, and stakeholders about this professional area.
The primary responsibilities of faculty psychologists are:
- Assess intellectual ability, learning processes, academic skills and aptitude, behavioral problems, emotional functioning, social skills, and neurological functions.
- Consulting and discussing with parents, teachers, pediatricians, administrators, psychiatrists, neurologists, and therapists.
- Developing behavioral intervention plans, individual education plans, prevention programs, and alternatives to corporal punishments.
- Advocating for the rights of youngsters and their families.
- Conducting training for folks, teachers, and other professionals and imparting training on social skills.
- Coordinating services existing within the community.
Aside from the first responsibilities enumerated above, alternate roles of faculty psychologists can vary from society to society and should include administration, curriculum development, advising with legislation and policy development, psychotherapy, and victim assistance.
Qualifications for being a School psychologist
The attributes necessary for a faculty psychologist include knowledge of psychology and education, usually satisfied by relevant post-graduate studies.
They ought to have an understanding and respect for human diversity. They should be ready to deliver a comprehensive range of direct, measurable services for youngsters, families, and academic institutions.
Given the complexity of their responsibilities and the particular sensitivities related to the psychological state sector, appropriate training is also a prerequisite.
Although the precise areas of coaching for college psychologists will vary from country to country, as an example, we will check out the knowledge and skills required by such professionals within the US as prescribed by the National Association of faculty Psychologists (NASP):
- Data collection and analysis;
- Assessment;
- Progress monitoring;
- School-wide practices to market learning;
- Resilience and risk factors;
- Consultation and collaboration;
- Interventions;
- Instructional support;
- Crisis preparedness;
- Response and recovery;
- Collaborating between schools and communities;
- Diversity in development and learning;
- Research and program evaluation;
- Professional ethics and;
- Applicable laws and systems.
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Aims and Activities of BSPS
The main objective of the BSPS is to help develop a positive educational environment and sound educational practices for the entire school program.
The BSPS has worked on cultivating a high standard of faculty Psychology in Bangladesh which is visible in both academic and professional settings.
Its goal is to make awareness regarding the necessity for college Psychology training and services to teachers, students, and fogeys or guardians. The BSPS is additionally committed to
- Uphold the interests of faculty Psychology as a science and advance the professional interests of faculty Psychologists.
- Serve learning needs to ensure the psychological rights of youngsters throughout the country.
- Promote education and the psychological state of learners through the publication of research papers and other matters of educational and applied interest.
- Arrange conferences, seminars, training, symposia, exhibitions, and workshops from time to time.
- Provide a certificate for approving of practicing School Psychologists in Bangladesh.
- Conducted activities related to school psychology or accompanying the attainment of the society’s objectives.
Vision
“School Psychology for Quality Citizen” is the Bangladesh School Psychology Society (BSPS).
Mission
The BSPS is that the platform supports School psychologists in their work. Society supports their activities and positively impacts educational systems to boost learners with academic, emotional, intellectual, behavioral, moral, and social competencies.
Conclusion:
School psychology in Bangladesh is a new look full of energy to grow. I believe that the education sector is responding to the need of a new generation, the future of this country. Human resource development is the only way to bridge the past and future gaps. I am sure this vision will not fail and will be one of the most critical assets to the country.