Archive · 11 Oct 2026
IITs Plan Dedicated Mental-Health Cadre Amid Student Suicides
IITs are considering creating permanent jobs for mental-health professionals.
These professionals could include counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists.
They would support students, teachers and other people on campus.
IITs already offer counselling, but directors say existing services may not be enough for their large campuses.
The plan has been discussed for at least two years, not just after recent student deaths.
A team at IIT Gandhinagar is working on a model for the institutes.
A Supreme Court-appointed group found that many faculty members did not feel trained to help students with mental-health problems.
Some IITs are also trying peer-support activities, wellness services and other ways to help students feel connected.
IIT directors say the institutes are considering dedicated, funded posts for counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists.
The proposal has been discussed for at least two years, and directors said it was not prompted by recent student deaths.
An IIT Gandhinagar team is developing a structure for the 23 IITs, including sanctioned mental-health positions.
A Supreme Court-appointed task force reported that 90 per cent of surveyed IIT faculty lacked proper training to support students with mental-health concerns.
IITs have also introduced measures including counselling hubs, peer-support efforts, wellness initiatives and mental-health policies.
- Who
- The Indian Institutes of Technology and their students, faculty and campus communities.
- What
- IITs are considering a formal cadre of mental-health professionals, with dedicated posts and funding.
- When
- The proposal has been discussed for at least two years; the report was published October 11.
- Where
- Across India’s 23 IITs.
- Why
- Directors say existing counselling arrangements are insufficient for campus populations and a sustainable support system is needed.
- IITs in India
- 23
- Student population per campus
- Approximately 3,000 to 18,000
- Proposed roles
- Counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists
- Planning timeline
- Discussed for at least two years
- Faculty training finding
- 90 per cent of faculty members across IITs cited by the task force lacked proper training to support students with sensitive mental-health concerns.
- Task force report
- The Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force was due to submit its final report by October 31.
- IIT Gandhinagar’s role
- Working on a structure for all IITs, including sanctioned posts.