Published Mar 14, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 14, 2026 | 7:00 AM
A teacher teaching students in library at school.(iStock)
Synopsis: The CBSE recently mandated mental-health training for teaching and non-teaching staff across affiliated schools. It intends to ease academic pressure while encouraging students to develop identities that go beyond examination scores. Education experts see the move as part of a broader shift in Indian schooling — one that seeks to balance academic rigour with emotional well-being.
The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) recent move mandating mental-health training for teaching and non-teaching staff across affiliated schools reflected a growing recognition that student well-being can no longer remain secondary to academic performance.
The directive asked schools to organise biannual training sessions led by certified professionals, equipping staff to identify early warning signs of distress, provide psychological first aid, and respond appropriately to crises.
The circular extends well beyond classroom intervention. Schools have been directed to organise parent-sensitisation programmes, integrate emotional literacy and life-skills education into student activities, maintain anonymous wellness records, and strengthen structured counselling and career guidance systems.
Collectively, these measures intend to ease academic pressure while encouraging students to develop identities that go beyond examination scores.
Education experts see the move as part of a broader shift in Indian schooling — one that seeks to balance academic rigour with emotional well-being.
One of the most significant aspects of the directive is its attempt to make student well-being a shared institutional responsibility.
Teachers, administrative staff, and support personnel are now expected to recognise behavioural changes and engage with students sensitively, signalling a departure from the earlier model where counselling remained confined to specialists.
According to Ravin Nair, Managing Director of QS I-GAUGE, a private firm specialised in rating colleges and universities, understanding individual students is central to meaningful learning.
“When a teacher understands a child’s background, strengths and challenges, they are better equipped to adopt an empathetic approach that enhances learning outcomes,” he told South First, describing CBSE’s move as an important step toward embedding well-being into everyday teaching.
He added that preparing educators to be culturally sensitive and emotionally responsive strengthens the entire school ecosystem.
From a quality-assessment perspective, he noted, institutions that integrate social-emotional awareness tend to create more supportive learning environments, suggesting that well-being is increasingly becoming a marker of institutional excellence.
The directive also encourages schools to review examination patterns and promote co-curricular engagement through sports, arts, and personality development.
“Such measures acknowledge that excessive academic focus often contributes to anxiety and disengagement among students,” he said.
Well-being frameworks are not entirely new to education assessment systems. Nair explained that the QS I-GAUGE school rating model already evaluates counselling infrastructure and emotional support mechanisms as part of institutional readiness.
Schools seeking higher benchmarks are expected to demonstrate access to trained counsellors, structured awareness sessions, and positive student and parent feedback on support services.
“The recent CBSE move aligns strongly with these parameters,” he said, adding that structured mandates may encourage schools to formalise practices that were previously voluntary.
According to him, institutions that systematically track the impact of counselling and well-being initiatives are better positioned to move beyond symbolic compliance.
However, implementation challenges remain. Nair pointed out that India continues to face a shortage of trained mental-health professionals, which could lead to superficial adoption if capacity gaps are not addressed.
Financial constraints, especially for smaller or rural schools, may also affect hiring counsellors and maintaining reporting systems.
He emphasised that integrating mental-health programmes into a performance-driven academic system would require careful planning, curriculum adjustments, and sustained awareness among parents and educators.
He noted, “Without cultural acceptance and consistent engagement from schools and families, participation may remain limited despite policy mandates.”
From a developmental psychology perspective, the directive is both timely and necessary, said Dr Abilash K, Assistant Professor and Consultant Psychologist at Christ University, Bengaluru.
He noted that emotional regulation, empathy, and help-seeking behaviour begin forming in early childhood, making early and continuous intervention essential.
“If mental-health education starts only in adolescence, schools often respond to distress rather than preventing it,” he explained to South First, adding that the policy’s success will depend on whether programmes are implemented across all grade levels as a structured developmental framework.
Dr Abilash cautioned that teachers must remain frontline observers rather than clinicians. Their role, he said, should focus on identifying warning signs, offering reassurance, and activating referral systems instead of diagnosing or conducting therapy.
Crossing these boundaries could create ethical and legal risks while placing unnecessary emotional pressure on educators.
He also warned that mandatory training, if poorly designed, could increase teacher burnout. Institutions must therefore provide supervision, referral pathways, and teacher-wellness support alongside student initiatives.
“If mental-health integration is treated as an added burden, burnout risk will rise; if supported institutionally, it can empower teachers,” he said.\
Earlier, schools affiliated with the CBSE addressed student mental health mainly through advisories, life-skills programmes and counsellor-led initiatives, with no mandatory requirement for regular training of all staff.
Under the new policy, however, CBSE has made student well-being a structured institutional responsibility.
Across India, several state governments have begun introducing mental-health training for school staff as part of broader education reforms, signalling a shift toward student well-being alongside academics.
Following directions and policy momentum created by guidelines from the Supreme Court of India, states are increasingly training teachers — and, in some cases, non-teaching staff — to identify psychological distress, respond to crises, and refer students for professional care.
For instance, Kerala has rolled out programmes to train teachers in early mental-health identification and counselling support. At the same time, Delhi has pushed schools to adopt structured well-being policies and counselling systems.
Although these measures are not yet embedded as formal syllabus components, they mark a gradual transition toward a whole-school approach where emotional safety and mental health are treated as core responsibilities of educational institutions.
Experts agree that the real test of the directive will lie in how schools measure outcomes. Counting workshops or training sessions alone cannot indicate improved well-being.
Dr Abilash suggested that institutions track indicators such as student stress levels, sense of belonging, absenteeism patterns, and referral data using validated assessment tools.
He added, “An initial increase in counselling referrals should not necessarily be viewed negatively, as it may reflect growing awareness and trust within the system. Monitoring teacher well-being is equally important, since educator stress directly influences classroom climate.”
Nair echoed the need for accountability, arguing that schools must develop strong monitoring mechanisms so counselling services do not remain “well-intentioned formalities.”
The larger question facing education today, he said, is whether institutions can afford to ignore well-being while pursuing academic excellence.
As schools begin translating policy into practice, the CBSE directive signals a broader shift in how success is defined in Indian education.
While marks and rankings may continue to hold importance, experts said the focus is gradually expanding toward emotional resilience and healthier learning environments.
“The idea is to redefine success beyond scores,” Dr Abhilash noted, adding that such ecosystems could help shape more confident and well-rounded students over time.
Meanwhile, educators widely welcomed the move by CBSE.
A teacher from a well-known CBSE school in Malappuram district of Kerala told South First that the initiative could help address issues that often go unnoticed in classrooms. “The move is very good because it equips teachers to recognise early signs of mental health problems among students,” he said.
He explained that many students tend to hide their emotional struggles due to fear or hesitation, sometimes even from their parents. According to him, the school environment plays a major role in helping students feel comfortable enough to speak openly.
The CBSE’s emphasis on mental health awareness, the teacher said, could help “break the ice” between students and teachers, creating a safer space for young people to share their concerns.
Highlighting the challenges faced by today’s students, he noted that children are increasingly influenced by a technology-driven environment where much of their exposure comes from online sources.
“They see everything online but often don’t know what is right and what is wrong, and there is no one they feel comfortable asking,” the teacher said.
With proper training and implementation of mental health programmes, the teacher added, schools may gradually rebuild trust and help students regain a sense of guidance and social values.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
