Counselors unqualified in schools

A new survey has revealed that up to two thirds of the teachers providing psychological counseling at primary and middle schools in Haidian district don't have an appropriate educational background.

The survey, released during Haidian district primary and middle school mental health week organized by the Haidian education commission, revealed that only 32.2 percent of teachers working as school psychological counselors have a relevant educational background.

Xiong Hanzhong, director of Beijing Youth Stress Management Service Center, blamed the shortage of trained counselors on the low number of students admitted to university psychology departments.