State consultative meet on mental health of students begins

A two-day ‘State consultative meet on mental health and well-being among school students’ for Kerala and Lakshadweep began here on Tuesday.

Organised by the Union Ministry of Education, the Manodarpan Cell of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), in association with the Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru, the conference was inaugurated by General Education Secretary K. Vasuki.

The Manodarpan Cell is an initiative of the Union Ministry of Education launched to provide psychosocial support to students, teachers, and families for mental health and emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Under the initiative, State consultative meets are organised in States to sensitise teachers to mental health concerns among students; introduce them to psychological first aid, emotional safety strategies, and referral mechanisms; promote awareness of initiatives such as Manodarpan, Tele-MANAS, and other tele-helplines; and facilitate inter-State sharing of best practices in mental well-being and create a group of teacher-mentors for mental health awareness.

The meet will also provide an opportunity to coordinate and plan with State and Central-level agencies and with the community to provide a nurturing school environment.

Nearly 200 participants from the Kerala and Lakshadweep are attending the two-day meet. The participants include secondary and higher secondary teachers, school counsellors/special educators, PTA members, and educational functionaries from State, district, block, and school levels. A number of mental health experts from across the country will also interact with the participants.