IIT Delhi Addresses Student Welfare Concerns with Strengthened Mental Health Framework

IIT Delhi has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the mental well-being and overall welfare of its students and has constituted an expert committee to review campus processes.

IIT Delhi Addresses Student Welfare Concerns

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi recognises that mental wellness is a serious concern for students across campuses in India. The Institute is fully cognizant of and sensitive to this issue and has proactively undertaken several measures to support the mental well-being and welfare of its students. It remains committed to continuously strengthening these efforts and is open to taking further steps as needed.

Committee Set Up to Assess Campus Well-being

IIT Delhi actively engages with its students through multiple channels to better understand their concerns and collaboratively identify effective solutions. In light of the recent tragic and untimely loss of a student, the Institute also constituted an expert committee to review campus processes and the overall environment. This committee includes external specialists in mental health and well-being, alongside internal members and alumni, ensuring a comprehensive and balanced evaluation.

Institute to Optimise and Expand Student Support Initiatives

Many of the concerns raised by the expert committee such as the intensely competitive academic environment, challenges stemming from the entrance exam system and coaching culture, and social biases related to caste, gender, and other identities had already been acknowledged by the Institute. While several initiatives to address these issues were already in place, the committee recommended strengthening and optimizing these efforts, as well as exploring additional interventions. The committee’s report has since been discussed in all-faculty and Deans’ committee meetings to ensure that both faculty and administrative members are more sensitized to these concerns in their interactions with students, both within and beyond the classroom.

Based on the committee’s report and a recent student-led audit of the existing counselling framework, IIT Delhi is formulating a comprehensive action plan to further strengthen its student support systems and overall campus well-being ecosystem. In the interim, the report along with proposed measures for implementing its recommendations will be presented to the Institute’s Board of Governors. The Institute also acknowledges that the challenges identified by the committee are not unique to IIT Delhi; issues such as the high-pressure entrance exam system, academic competitiveness, and social biases are widespread and systemic across higher education institutions.

Addressing Student Wellness Through Inclusive and Multi-Level Engagement

The Institute remains committed to addressing these challenges to the fullest extent within its campus. Simultaneously, it is actively engaging with other stakeholders such as peer IITs to tackle these issues at a broader, systemic level, including aspects related to entrance examinations like the JEE. IIT Delhi also welcomes and encourages suggestions from the wider academic community and beyond to further strengthen student mental health and well-being initiatives.

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