Haryana to hold workshop on student mental health, suicide prevention

The two-day Gurugram programme will draft a training module and create master trainers for phased rollout across colleges statewide.

The directorate of higher education, Haryana, is organising a two-day workshop on student mental health and suicide prevention in higher education institutions at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration in Gurugram on Thursday and Friday, officials said.

Thirty colleges from four districts will join sessions on crisis identification, classroom practices and psychological safety, officials said. (HT)

The workshop, jointly organised by Higher Education and HIPA, aims to finalise a draft training module and develop a structured framework for creating master trainers, who will later train teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges across the state. As an initial step, principals from 30 colleges in Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal and Jhajjar will participate.

The initiative follows the Supreme Court’s March 24, 2025, directives addressing rising mental health concerns and suicides among college and university students.

A letter issued on January 12 by the superintendent of the training cell for the director general of higher education, Panchkula, flagged mental health as a growing campus concern. “Many college students are struggling with their mental health, contributing to rising rates of degree incompletion and suicides,” it read.

“About one-third of campus communities experience symptoms of severe depression, and there are significant differences between faculty/staff and students when it comes to mental health coping strategies and perceived barriers to seeking professional help,” the letter said, adding that mental health training for students and staff could help create a supportive campus environment.

The workshop will feature eight sessions, including understanding student mental health issues, teachers’ roles, building psychological safety, setting boundaries, proactive classroom practices, crisis identification and finalising the draft module.

Officials said the programme is expected to form the basis of a phased statewide rollout of mental health training in colleges.