New Delhi: Indian Institutes of Technology are considering creating a proper cadre of mental health professionals to support the psychological well-being of students, faculty, and staff, according to IIT directors. The move has been under discussion for at least two years and, directors noted, is not a direct response to recent student suicides reported on some campuses.
The plan comes at a time when student deaths by suicide at IIT campuses have again drawn attention to mental health support at these institutions. While counselling services are available across campuses, IIT directors stated that a more sustainable and long-term system is needed, featuring dedicated and sanctioned posts for counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
Several IITs have been at the centre of controversy this year over student suicides on campus. On September 18, an IIT Bombay student was found hanging from the ceiling fan in a hostel room, triggering protests and bringing the issue back into focus. This incident followed the death by suicide of an IIT Delhi student in August, which led to outrage on that campus. Such tragedies have been reported at several premier technical institutions in recent years.
The Ministry of Education had informed Parliament earlier this year that all IITs, IIMs, NITs, and IIITs maintain dedicated mental health or counselling centres staffed by full-time or visiting professional counsellors, clinical psychologists, and, in certain cases, psychiatrists. An IIT director told PTI that while counselling is available, current arrangements involving third-party apps or general campus counsellors fall short of meeting the needs of large student populations.
The director added that mental health initiatives have been a focal point at IITs for years, and deliberations over establishing a proper professional cadre began at least two years ago to support students, faculty members, and campus staff. There are currently 23 IITs nationwide, each accommodating between 3,000 and 18,000 students, alongside faculty, families, and broader communities living on the premises.
Another IIT director explained that creating dedicated posts for counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists is essential because contractual appointments remain impractical without specific job creation and earmarked funding. This proposal was previously presented to former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and IIT Gandhinagar is currently drafting a standardized structure that includes sanctioned professional posts for all IITs.
According to minutes from an IIT Council meeting held last year, the finalized structure will align with Rehabilitation Council of India guidelines, incorporating adequate promotional pathways and periodic quality assessments to build a reliable and sustainable system.
V Ramgopal Rao, BITS Pilani Group Vice Chancellor and former IIT Delhi director, has previously expressed concern that institutional challenges stem from a one-size-fits-all admissions approach that fails to adapt teaching methods to student heterogeneity.
Meanwhile, an interim report by a National Task Force appointed by the Supreme Court revealed that faculty members across IITs often feel ill-equipped to handle mental health issues, with 90 percent lacking proper training to support distressed students. The panel evaluated responses from 31 centrally funded institutions, discovering that while 18 institutes employed at least one mental health service provider, only four reported formal training for faculty mentorship programs, and ten provided training for peer-support initiatives.
The committee also noted that inconsistent use of the term "counsellor" across institutes made it difficult to gauge the actual availability of trained mental health professionals. The panel is expected to submit its final report by October 31.
Individual institutions have also rolled out localized measures. IIT Roorkee announced the drafting of a comprehensive mental health policy earlier this year, while IIT Kharagpur implemented evening power blackouts to encourage students to step away from devices and combat isolation. IIT Guwahati launched a "Know Your Neighbour" campaign to foster peer connections.
Additional campus interventions include curriculum realignments, dedicated wellness hubs, digital wellness portals and applications, gatekeeper training models, and peer support groups. These diverse measures, combined with the proposed professional cadre, highlight an ongoing effort across IITs to construct a resilient mental health support network.