Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed public and private universities and degree colleges across the state to establish functional mental health and well-being centres to provide counselling and support to students and staff.
The Higher Education Department has asked institutions under its jurisdiction to implement the state's operational guidelines on the mental health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. The guidelines, issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department, cover students aged 18 years and above, along with faculty members, non-teaching staff and hostel wardens.
The initiative aims to establish a structured support system within higher educational institutions to identify signs of psychological distress, provide initial assistance and facilitate referrals to qualified mental health professionals wherever required. It also seeks to extend campus mental health support beyond occasional awareness programmes.
Under the guidelines, every higher education institution is required to establish a functional mental health and well-being centre. The centre will coordinate counselling services, referrals, awareness programmes and other support measures for individuals experiencing psychological difficulties.
Institutions have also been asked to designate a senior faculty member as the mental health nodal officer and constitute a monitoring committee headed by the head of the institution. The committee will oversee the implementation of the guidelines and coordinate mental health-related activities on campus.
The guidelines also assign responsibilities to different members of the campus community in identifying students who may require assistance. Faculty members are expected to act as an initial point of contact for students showing signs of distress, while hostel wardens and residential staff are expected to remain attentive to the well-being of students living away from their families.
The department has emphasised that mental health support should involve students, teachers, non-teaching staff and hostel personnel. The framework also provides for awareness and sensitisation activities to help members of the campus community recognise signs of distress and guide those requiring assistance towards appropriate support.
Institutions that do not have dedicated counsellors or adequate infrastructure are expected to establish minimum support mechanisms and develop referral arrangements with nearby mental health services or healthcare facilities. This is intended to enable institutions with limited resources to provide initial assistance and connect individuals with professional care.
The guidelines place responsibility on higher educational institutions to develop campus-level mechanisms for mental health awareness, early identification and access to appropriate support.