IIT Roorkee begins drafting comprehensive mental health policy for its campus

In a major step towards strengthening student wellbeing in higher education Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee IIT Roorkee on Sunday announced it has started drafting a comprehensive mental health policy for its campus community The initiative is being seen as a landmark move that could set a model for other IITs across the countryThe first draft of the policy has been prepared by the institutersquos Wellness Centre which serves as a mental health care facility for students faculty and staffThe draft was developed with inputs from the Dean of Student Welfare Associate Dean of Student Wellness clinical psychologists at IIT Roorkee external advisors and faculty members ensuring that the framework reflects both professional expertise and institutional experienceThe initiative was further strengthened through ldquoSAHYOG 20rdquo a focused interIIT discussion aimed at sharing ideas and learning from the experiences of other IITsThe goal of the dialogue was to understand the policies protocols and governance systems already in place at different IITs and to incorporate best practices into a comprehensive and inclusive mental health policy for the entire IIT communitySAHYOG 20 builds on the success of SAHYOG 10 which was held in 2024 The latest edition also aligns with recent directives of the Supreme Court of India and the University Grants Commission UGC both of which have stressed the importance of mental health governance in higher education institutionsThe discussions during SAHYOG 20 covered a wide range of issues including how institutions can frame and implement mental health policies the need for preventive and responsive support systems and the role of Wellness Centres counselling cells and student welfare bodiesParticipants also discussed how to standardise mental health policies across IITs and create clear standard operating procedures for handling crisis situationsThe event brought together delegates from all IITs including Deans faculty members and mental health professionalsRenowned external advisors from institutions such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences Rishikesh Government Medical College and Hospital Chandigarh Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences King Georges Medical University Tata Institute of Social Sciences Institute of Psychiatry Kolkata O P Jindal Global University Mariwala Health Initiative University of Delhi and Uttarakhand Police Special Investigation Force also took partA Supreme Court advocate and an anthropologist were among the distinguished officials presentSpeaking about the effort IIT Roorkee Director Prof KK Pant said that mental health and wellbeing have become critical pillars of excellence in higher educationHe said initiatives like SAHYOG 20 show a shared recognition of this responsibility among institutionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever