Govt Details Multi-Pronged Push to Tackle Student Mental Health Crisis in Lok Sabha

MANODARPAN: Dr Sukanta Majumdar, the Minister of State for Education, through his written communication to Lok Sabha, has listed out a series of measures that the government plans to undertake in order to protect the psychological and emotional well-being of students throughout India. There have been mentions of various systems of protection, rules and regulations, training programmes for the faculty, and skills programmes that are expected to reduce stress and help in avoiding suicides.

Key Takeaways from the Parliamentary Reply

• Root Causes Identified: Through ADSI reports published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the government acknowledged that some of the major causes of suicides among students are examination failures, academic stress, family problems, illness, and personal relationships.

• National Support Services: MANODARPAN has been actively providing national toll-free psychological services, counselling, and interactive programmes like 'Sahyog' and 'Paricharcha'.

• Strengthening Campus Welfare: The leading Central universities (IITs, IIMs, NITs, and IIITs) have established campus counselling centres where there will be full-time/visiting clinical psychologists and psychiatrists.

• Coaching Centers Regulation: Guidelines for the regulation require a mandatory counselling facility, no batch segregation, and transparency in the fees to avoid stress outside the university.

• Teacher Capacity Building: More than 4,000 teachers were trained under Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Program to detect the emotional problems at the early stage.

Multi-Layered Policy Measures & Interventions

Psychosocial Support and MANODARPAN

MANODARPAN, a mental health support platform initiated by the Ministry of Education, offers constant mental support services to students, teachers, and parents. This platform offers a dedicated national helpline along with periodic interactive sessions being transmitted through PM e-Vidya channels and the official media outlets of NCERT.

Protection Measures for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)

As per the guidelines and advice issued by UGC and the Ministry, the higher educational institutions have been directed to take necessary steps like:

• Implementing distress signal identification systems and SOPs for preventing suicides.

• Developing student support systems and effective grievance redressal mechanisms.

• Promoting physical and emotional fitness among students.

Improving Protections for Coaching Centres

Given that mental health issues emerge due to stiff competition while preparing for exams, guidelines issued to coaching centres clearly do not allow such strategies. Some of the key guidelines include:

• No Batch Segregation: Halting the segregation of students based on their academic performance.

• Access to Counseling Services: Availability of mental health professionals at all times in the coaching center.

• Ethics in Business: Policy regarding fees and refunds.