New Delhi, Jan. 15 -- A UGC panel has proposed specific counsellor-to-student ratios, one for every 500 students in larger institutions and one for every 100 in smaller ones, and to hold periodic awareness programmes on stress and anxiety to bolster student-support systems, according to officials.
The recommendations have been made in the University Grants Commission (UGC) panel's draft guidelines, UGC Guidelines on Uniform Policy on Mental Health & Well-Being for Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), for colleges and universities.
"The HEIs shall establish a dedicated Mental Health & Well-being Centre with all required physical infrastructure. The infrastructure will include dedicated rooms/spaces that will provide privacy while making or waiting for appointments," as per the recommendations. Also suggesting that periodic awareness programmes on stress and anxiety be held.
"The Centres will have facilities for documentation of sessions held, which will be coded or anonymised for storage. Clinical records may be destroyed as per the rules of the HEIs after a period of one year after the student graduates, as per norms," as per the recommendations.
"Data related to service utilisation may be stored. Contact details for the Centre need to be visibly displayed throughout the campus and the details available on the website as well," the recommendations said.
The UGC formed the committee, headed by Rajinder K. Dhamija, the director of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi, after the Supreme Court's 25 July 2025 directions on framing a uniform mental health policy for India's higher educational institutes.
Under the draft norms, the UGC has been entrusted with a central role in monitoring and supporting the implementation of a uniform mental health policy in all HEIs.
The UGC will track progress through a dedicated portal, 'MANASSETU', collecting annual reports and feedback to assess whether the objectives, such as improving student well-being and reducing attrition or loss of life, are being met.
"The UGC will also support continuous capacity-building initiatives, recognise evidence-based interventions, and collaborate with the National Research Foundation (NRF), ICMR, ICSSR, and WHO, among others, to develop effective strategies and interventions," the recommendations said.
"By reviewing policies annually and identifying challenges in their adoption, the UGC will also ensure that mental health policies translate into tangible outcomes on the ground. Each HEI is expected to establish a dedicated Mental Health & Well-being Centre (MHWBC), with appropriate infrastructure to provide private and accessible services," the recommendations said.
The draft guidelines urge HEIs to develop strong "readiness and crisis management mechanisms" to safeguard student mental health.
"Under suicide prevention infrastructure, peers, faculty, and staff should be trained to recognise signs of distress in behaviour and communication, such as abrupt changes in interaction, behaviour or class attendance," it said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.