Arunachal: AAPPA urges govt to introduce psychology in major educational institutions

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The All Arunachal Pradesh Psychological Association (AAPPA) has appealed to the state government to introduce psychology as a major subject in all educational institutions across the state, emphasising its importance in education, mental health, and employment opportunities.

In a letter to state Education Minister Passang Dorjee Sona, the association underscored the urgent need for psychology courses at the senior secondary level, colleges, and Arunachal Pradesh University, Pasighat, to ensure holistic student development and create job opportunities for qualified but unemployed professionals.

Despite the growing relevance of psychology, the subject has not yet been introduced in the state’s educational curriculum, unlike other disciplines such as sociology and anthropology.

It highlighted that Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) has been offering a master’s programme in psychology since 2017, producing over 150 postgraduates, including 10 NET/JRF qualifiers. However, the lack of undergraduate psychology programmes in affiliated colleges ’forces students to leave the state for further studies, creating a major educational gap.

In contrast, neighbouring Assam has made psychology widely accessible and recently included it in the state-level eligibility test (SLET), facilitating career growth in research and teaching. AAPPA further pointed out that psychology is an optional subject in the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) examinations, yet students within the state do not have access to psychology degrees, putting them at a competitive disadvantage.

Additionally, various national policies, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, and the Manodarpan Programme, stress the importance of mental health education and counselling services. The University Grants Commission (UGC), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) also recognise psychology as a crucial subject at the senior secondary level, the association said.

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