Guwahati: A two-day workshop focused on helping develop supportive campus environment through coordinated efforts across different stakeholders concluded at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, on Monday.
More than 100 participants from 28 higher education institutions across the North East and the Delhi region gained insights into how mental health and well-being initiatives can be implemented at the institutional level, an official statement said.
The 'Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Positive Mental Health, Resilience and Wellbeing' was organised under the Teacher Connect Programme of the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP) of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
The initiative brought together faculty members, institutional leaders, hostel wardens, student welfare and hostel management officers, counsellors and student representatives.
A key objective of the workshop was to enable participants to gain actionable insights that can support the development and strengthening of institutional systems for student wellbeing.
Speaking during the event, Devendra Jalihal, director, IIT-Guwahati, highlighted the mental health crisis among youth, and underscored that there is a need to understand causes in depth and not just reactively after a tragedy.
He added that there is a need to collectively find a way forward.
Devendra Kumar, director, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education said there has been increased enrolment of students in tertiary education institutions, especially after 2011.
He maintained that this reflected increased aspirations and competition among youth in tertiary education.
Jitendra Nagpal, director in-charge of the Institute of Mental Health and Life Skills Promotion, New Delhi, and director, Expression India, emphasising on the diversity of India and its demographic dividend, said that the workshop aims to have all participants grow together and return as agents of change in their institutions.
The workshop highlighted that building a supportive campus environment requires coordinated efforts across different levels of an institution, and discussed how institutional policies and support systems can be strengthened while remaining responsive to the needs of students.
Through sessions drawing on experiences and practices from institutions including IIT Guwahati and IIT Madras, participants had the opportunity to understand how mental health and wellbeing initiatives can be approached at the institutional level.
The workshop also provided a platform for participants to ask questions, clarify implementation-related concerns and explore how relevant practices could be adapted to their own campus contexts.
More than 20 resource persons, including mental health professionals, doctors, counsellors, academicians and institutional experts, contributed to the programme.
Their expertise provided participants with perspectives on developing appropriate institutional approaches to positive mental health, student wellbeing, resilience and coping, social connectedness, and supportive campus ecosystems.
The workshop was part of a series of five such programmes of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
Two such workshops were earlier held at IIT-Madras and IIT-Indore, while the IITs at Bhubaneswar and Jammu are scheduled to organise the remaining two.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
