The Central Government announced on Monday that a thorough framework of operational guidelines, which will encompass schools and higher education institutions, is being prepared to protect students’ mental and emotional health.

After holding a high-level review meeting with a focus on student mental health and zero tolerance for discrimination in educational institutions across the nation, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan made the statement.

“As per the directions of the minister and to further safeguard the mental and emotional wellbeing of the students, the ministry is preparing a comprehensive framework of operational guidelines, covering holistically from school to higher education institutions,” a ministry statement said here.

The framework will institutionalize mechanisms to guarantee complete protection of students from any threat or assault—physical, social, discriminatory, cultural, or linguistic—causing psychological distress and encouraging students to engage in self-harming or destructive behaviors.

Recently, the minister in Parliament reported that 33 IIT students have committed suicide since 2018. In addition to IITs, 61 suicide cases were reported at NITs and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) during the same time span. In the meeting, the minister requested that the top administrators set up a fair method for handling complaints. He also instructed them to use an online platform to solicit ideas from all parties involved.

“He touched upon various subjects such as gender equality, caste sensitivity, academic ease of pressure, robust system of counselling, etc.,” the statement said. The ministry said it is “committed to ensure the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of the students.”

Academic pressure, peer pressure, a highly competitive learning environment, behavioral problems, performance problems, stress, job concerns, depression, etc. are just a few of the issues that may have an impact on students’ mental health.

Check-list

Creation of inclusive, non-discriminatory environment
Sensitization of faculty members
Close-knit student-faculty interactive communities
Team activities
Provision of physical fitness and nutrition
Speedy grievance redress mechanism