CBSE directs schools to celebrate Mental Health Week

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed schools to observe Mental Health Week until October 10. In preparation for World Mental Health Day, CBSE has encouraged schools to organise awareness sessions for students, staff, parents, and even the neighbouring community. World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10 and this year, the theme is ‘mental health is a universal human right’, which aims to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.

The Board has urged schools to create a safe and psychologically comfortable space within school’s premises such as ‘Let’s Talk’, ‘Happiness Zone’, or ‘Wellness Zone’ for students to talk about their thoughts and emotions.

CBSE mentioned that even the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 recognises mental health to be an integral part of the broader vision of education. It is also reflected in the focus on socio-emotional aspects of development as an important prerequisite for optimal learning across stages of education. CBSE also stated about ‘Manodarpan’, an initiative of the Ministry of Education under the ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. Manodarpan has been working in line with the approach of NEP, 2020 towards promoting mental health and well-being in school education.

To celebrate Mental Health Week, CBSE recommended schools to set up a ‘positivity board’ on their notice boards. This board will be a place to share positive messages and mental health resources. CBSE also encouraged students to participate in creative activities like making posters, writing comics and slogans, and delivering speeches on mental health topics, focusing on appreciation rather than competition.

Students are also encouraged to explore relaxation activities such as yoga and mindfulness to better understand mental health. In addition, CBSE suggested organising campaigns, discussions, storytelling sessions, and street plays (nukkad natak) to raise awareness about mental health among students. These efforts aim to create a supportive and empathetic school environment that promotes mental well-being.

In a report on ‘mental health and wellbeing,’ CBSE highlighted that almost one-fifth of children and adolescents experience mental health concerns like stress, anxiety, bullying, learning disability, and/or alcohol and substance abuse. “A large number of students do not receive the attention and care they need because of the prevalent stigma associated with mental illnesses. Therefore, it is important to have widespread awareness to address the mental health challenges faced by school students,” the report mentioned.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the topic of mental health, with 11 children who bagged the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2023. He advised them to start by solving smaller problems, as this would build their confidence and prepare them to tackle larger challenges in life.

In May 2023, Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting focussing on the mental wellness of students and zero tolerance towards discrimination in educational institutions across the country. Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar and senior officials from the school and higher education department, CBSE, AICTE, UGC attended the meeting.

In the meeting, Pradhan had asked the senior officials to put in place an effective grievance redressal system with shared responsibility. He touched upon various subjects such as gender equality, caste sensitivity, easing academic pressure, and a robust system of counselling. He said that the ministry of education is committed to ensuring the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of the students.