After the continuous incidents of suicide, the Union Education Ministry has formed an inquiry committee. The Education Ministry has taken cognizance of the recent unfortunate incident of student suicide at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. This incident has once again brought to the fore the critical importance of strengthening institutional mechanisms to safeguard the emotional and mental well-being of students in higher education institutions. The three-member consultant committee will submit its report within a period of 15 days.
In this context, the Ministry of Education had issued 'Framework Guidelines for Emotional and Mental Well-Being of Students in Higher Education Institutions' in July 2023 with the aim of creating an enabling, inclusive and supportive environment in higher education institutions across the country.
The objective of the guidelines is to create a comprehensive roadmap for higher education institutions and lay emphasis on key interventions such as sensitization and capacity building programs for faculty members, orientation, counseling and handholding mechanisms for students, early detection mechanisms for immediate intervention for stress, crisis and vulnerability, development of institutional standard operating procedures (SOPs) and suicide prevention strategies and establishment of body-mentor system in a link-chain model.
To review the implementation of the Framework Guidelines as well as to investigate the recent incidents of student suicides at IIT Kanpur, the competent authority has approved the formation of a three-member committee with the following composition.
