Soon, colleges, universities, and other higher educational institutes across India will have ‘student service centres’. This is part of the guidelines created by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to ensure mental and emotional well-being of students in higher educational institutes.

UGC has created draft guidelines and will be releasing them soon to get feedback from stakeholders. As per the guidelines, colleges will set-up ‘student service centres’ which will aim at identifying vulnerable and stress-prone students and extend them guidance.

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It will be mandatory for higher education institutes to have consellors to help students. Under the guidelines, dedicated cells will be expected to maintain separate records of students appearing to be “more vulnerable and stress-prone”.

While the guidelines will be aimed at promoting physical fitness, sports, emotional and psychological wellbeing among students, special care will LGBT students, kids hailing from rural side of the country, females, students from divergent cultural backgrounds, and students with special needs.

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This, claims UGC, will also reduce drop-out rates. Based on the feedback from students colleges will further design resolution-oriented strategies for their students. Overall guidelines, common practices will be mainstreamed by UGC.  fitness and sports activities will also be promoted through these centres. Authorities will also be asked to avoid taking punitive measures against students to the possible extent.

Ever since the onset of pandemic, special attention is being given to the emotional and psychological health of students. Earlier too, UGC had asked higher educational institutes to set-up helplines for mental health, psychosocial concern and well-being of students. College were also instructed to regularly mentor students through interactions, appeals via telephone, emails, and social media platforms. In 2020, a behaviour health, psycho-social toll free helpline (084611007) was also launched by UGC.

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