Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Indian Institutes of Technology are considering creating a proper cadre of mental health professionals to support the psychological well-being of students, faculty and staff, according to IIT directors. The move has been under discussion for at least two years and, directors said, is not a response to the recent student suicides reported on some campuses.
The plan comes at a time when student deaths by suicide at IIT campuses have again drawn attention to mental health support at these institutions. While counselling services are available across campuses, IIT directors said a more sustainable and long-term system is needed, with dedicated and sanctioned posts for counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists.
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Several IITs have been at the centre of controversy this year over student suicides on campus. On September 18, an IIT Bombay student was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room, triggering protests and bringing the issue back into focus. The incident followed the death by suicide of an IIT Delhi student in August, which had led to outrage on that campus. Such deaths have been reported at several premier technical institutions in recent years.
The Ministry of Education had told Parliament earlier this year that all IITs, IIMs, NITs and IIITs have dedicated mental health or counselling centres on their campuses, staffed by full-time or visiting professional counsellors, clinical psychologists and, in some cases, psychiatrists.
“Counselling is available to students across all campuses at present. Some IITs have engaged with third-party apps while many have counsellors on campus, but that is not enough for the kind of student strength on campuses and a sustainable and long-term solution is being explored,” an IIT director told PTI.
He added, “Mental health initiatives have been at centre of attention at IITs in previous years, and it has been deliberated upon since at least two years that IITs should have a proper cadre for mental health professionals, which not only provides a support system to the students but to faculty members and any staff member on campus.”
There are currently 23 IITs across the country, with student numbers ranging from 3,000 to 18,000 on each campus, apart from faculty members, their families and a broader community living on the premises.
Another IIT director said, “It has been felt that dedicated posts including counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists need to be created within the IITs because unless specific posts are created and funding is earmarked, even contractual appointments are not possible.” He added, “The idea is not a fallout of the recent unfortunate episodes. The proposal was also placed before former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and IIT Gandhinagar is working on a structure for all IITs which includes sanctioned posts for counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists.”
According to the minutes of an IIT Council meeting held last year, the structure, once prepared, will follow Rehabilitation Council of India guidelines, with adequate promotional avenues and quality assessment provisions from time to time, so that a sustainable and reliable system can be built.
BITS Pilani Group Vice Chancellor and former IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao has been raising concerns that problems on this front arise from a “one-size-fits-all approach in IITs”, where meritorious students from all backgrounds are admitted but teaching and learning methods are not adapted to address the “heterogeneity”.
An interim report by a National Task Force appointed by the Supreme Court said faculty members across IITs felt ill-equipped to deal with mental health issues, and 90 per cent lacked proper training to support students facing such concerns. The panel cited responses from 31 centrally funded institutions, including 23 IITs, and found that while 18 institutes had at least one mental health service provider, only four reported formal training for faculty mentorship programmes and 10 reported training for peer-support initiatives.
The panel also said the term “counsellor” was used inconsistently across institutes, making it difficult to assess how many trained mental health professionals were actually available. The committee is expected to submit its final report by October 31.
Some IITs have also introduced campus-level measures. IIT Roorkee announced earlier this year that it has started drafting a comprehensive mental health policy. IIT Kharagpur has enforced evening power blackouts to encourage students to step away from electronic devices and speak to each other in an effort to prevent isolation. IIT Guwahati’s “Know Your Neighbour” campaign similarly aims to strengthen peer bonds.
Other steps taken by various IITs include realigning the curriculum, setting up on-campus wellness and counselling hubs, launching wellness websites and apps, using the gatekeeper training model and forming peer support groups. Together, these efforts and the proposed cadre of professionals reflect the push within IITs to build a more stable mental health support system for students and the wider campus community.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
