A success Story of an International Collaboration on Training School Administrators in School Psychology

After laying the foundation of Indian School Psychology Association (InSPA) in collaboration with the experts of International School Psychology Association (ISPA) in 2011, it occurred to the coordinator of these meetings P. Ramalingam to engage the experts from the two associations to impart first-hand training to school administrators and school counsellors in India. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), an ambitious project of the Government of India to universalize elementary education, provided the most suitable platform in various ways. Training modules were prepared on international guidelines so as to suit to the Indian context. There were 60 participants in the training: 15 higher secondary school principals and 30 high school head masters of the Union Territory of Puducherry, and 15 school counsellors and teachers from various parts of India. They had the opportunity to acquire knowledge in various aspects related to School Psychology, such as building capacity, developing shared vision between the school administration and the teacher, along with the need to provide primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Focus was on skills in School Psychology, lecture cum interaction, demonstration and role play, skill practice and material preparation, practice workshop with primary and secondary school children, assignments and tests. Interactive technical sessions were scheduled for five days and the feedback received from the participants of this innovative international collaboration was highly satisfactory. There was so much enthusiasm in the community that a School Psychologist Training Institute has been envisioned to conduct such programmes regularly to advance the cause of School Psychology.