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The Supreme Court on Friday issued comprehensive guidelines to protect the mental health of students in schools, colleges, and coaching centres.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta while addressing the issue of students' suicides in India, issued 15 binding directions. The order of the apex court came while deciding the petition filed by the father of the student, who died under suspicious circumstances after falling from her hostel terrace while undergoing NEET coaching at Aakash Byju's Institute, Vishakhapatnam in July. The apex court directed all states and Union Territories to notify rules within two months mandating registration, student protection norms, and grievance redressal for private coaching centres. It also ordered the formation of district-level monitoring committees headed by District Magistrates to oversee implementation, inspections, and complaints. The top court further asked the Union of India must file a compliance affidavit within 90 days detailing implementation steps, coordination with states, regulatory progress, monitoring mechanisms, and the timeline for the National Task Force's report on student mental health. The bench said that until such time as appropriate legislation or regulatory frameworks are enacted by the competent authority, it decided to lay down the following guidelines to protect students' mental health. All educational institutions shall ensure optimal student-to-counsellor ratios, it said. The apex court said that dedicated mentors or counsellors shall be assigned to smaller batches of students, especially during examination periods and academic transitions, to provide consistent, informal, and confidential support. (ANI)
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