A game-changer for Indian higher education: IIT Roorkee announces its comprehensive mental health policy draft, targeting student distress head-on. This Sunday’s reveal marks a bold stride toward safer, more supportive campuses.
Led by the Wellness Centre, the draft incorporates input from deans, clinical experts, faculty, and consultants, blending institutional knowledge with professional rigor.
Fueling the process is Sahyog 2.0, a landmark inter-IIT summit that built on 2024’s inaugural event. Aligned with Supreme Court and UGC guidelines, it focused on actionable strategies for mental health governance.
Sessions delved into policy design, implementation challenges, emergency protocols, and the synergy between counseling, wellness, and welfare units. Uniform SOPs and pan-IIT policies emerged as priorities.
The gathering featured a stellar lineup: all IIT reps, medical heavyweights from AIIMS, KGMC, IHBAS, psychiatric institutes, TISS experts, O.P. Jindal scholars, Mariwala Initiative leaders, DU officials, Uttarakhand Police specialists, plus a Supreme Court counsel and anthropologist.
Director Prof. K.K. Pant emphasized, ‘In today’s academia, mental health underpins excellence. Sahyog 2.0 exemplifies our dedication.’
Poised to serve as a template for fellow IITs, this initiative addresses a critical gap, promoting proactive care over reactive fixes. With stakeholder refinements ahead, IIT Roorkee leads the charge for mentally resilient student communities.