Chandigarh, Jan. 10 -- Panjab University has asked all its teaching departments, centres, institutes and constituent colleges to put in place a structured mentor-mentee programme, with weekly interaction slots between faculty members and students. Under the programme, a faculty member will be assigned a small group of students to guide them on academic matters, career choices and other concerns. The system is intended to help students deal with academic difficulties early on, ease stress and improve engagement between teachers and students. As per the university's directions, each faculty member will mentor 15 to 20 students, and departments have been told to set aside a fixed time in the weekly timetable for these interactions. University authorities said the initiative is aimed at students' overall development and will involve activities beyond classroom teaching. Departments have been asked to organise sports activities, lectures and expert talks on mental health and substance abuse, cultural programmes, interactive sessions and skill development activities as part of the exercise. Mentor-mentee systems have been given greater emphasis under NEP 2020 as a student support measure. However, officials acknowledged that the success of such programmes depends largely on regular meetings and proper follow up at the departmental level. Chairpersons and directors have also been instructed to submit monthly reports to the dean of university instruction's office, detailing mentor-mentee interactions, activities conducted and student participation. The information will also be uploaded on the National Task Force portal. According to the university, the reporting mechanism is meant to help monitor the programme's implementation, in line with directions issued by the ministry of education following observations of Supreme Court....