Govt launches measures, MANODARPAN to tackle student suicide issue

The government is tackling student suicides with measures like the MANODARPAN initiative, which offers psychological support via a national helpline, webinars, and live sessions for students, teachers, and families for their mental and emotional well-being.

Government's Multi-Pronged Approach

To address the issue of suicide, the Government is taking multi-pronged measures and providing psychological support to students, teachers and families for mental and emotional well-being to avoid incidences of suicide, Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, informed Lok Sabha in a written reply on Monday.

An initiative of Ministry of Education, MANODARPAN, covers a wide range of activities to provide psychological support to students, teachers and families for mental and emotional well being such as National toll-free helpline to provide guidance to callers through trained counsellor; live interactive sessions 'Sahyog' and Webinars 'Paricharcha' that are organized regularly to create awareness about the importance of mental health among all stakeholders, including students in all States/UTs etc. These sessions are telecast on PM e-Vidya channels and are also available on the 'NCERT Official' YouTube Channel, the written reply stated.

Mandatory Counselling in Schools

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has mandated the appointment of a Counsellor & Wellness Teacher in every Secondary and Senior Secondary school affiliated with it in its Affiliation bye-laws. In Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), there is a provision for engagement of two counsellors (one male and one female) in each Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) on a contractual basis, and total 830 counsellors have been engaged on a contractual basis in JNVs across the country as of February, 2026, it added.

Framework for Higher Education Institutes

The Ministry of Education in July, 2023 circulated a framework guideline on emotional and mental well-being of students in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with a request to take proactive measures to incorporate the same in the institutional functioning and instil a feeling of confidence in the student community. The guidelines emphasised counselling services, early distress identification, suicide prevention SOPs, student support networks, strengthened grievance redressal mechanisms, and periodic institutional review to ensure sustained effectiveness.

Guidelines for Coaching Centres

Guidelines for Regulation of Coaching Centres (January 2024) have been issued by the Ministry of Education, which mandate student-support and protection measures such as counselling facilities, transparent fee structures, prohibition of batch segregation, and safeguards against practices that intensify academic pressure - extending mental-wellbeing protections beyond campuses, it added.

Mental Health Support in Premier Institutes

All IITs, IIMs, NITs and IIITs have put in place dedicated mental health or counselling centres within their campuses, staffed with full-time or visiting professional counsellors, clinical psychologists, and in some cases, psychiatrists. A large number of institutes often host mental health training sessions to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and educate students about mental health issues. These sessions cover topics such as stress management, coping strategies, and recognizing the signs of mental health issues. Some Institutes offers on/off-campus counselling services, where students can meet with mental health professionals, government said. (ANI)

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