Adolescents and youth constitute approximately 30% of India’s population. However, the mental health and well-being statistics for this group are concerning. School-based estimates indicate 23.3% prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.
Schools are crucial spaces for mental health care and support, with global research demonstrating the effectiveness of educational institute-based interventions. India’s vast educational landscape presents opportunities for addressing the diverse mental health and wellbeing needs of students, including needs of those at risk for self-harm and suicide.
Recognising these needs, the Government of India has introduced multiple initiatives enabling enhanced wellbeing of children and adolescents. However, evidence on implementation is limited.
This report, by Sattva Knowledge Institute and School Initiative for Mental Health Advocacy (SIMHA) – a field action project of TISS Mumbai, aims to shed light on existing state-level governmental initiatives in school mental health in India. It analyses their scope, impact, implementation strategies and highlight exemplary practices within the field. The report captures information on 33 programmes – 21 promotive and preventive programmes, and 12 multi-tiered programmes – across states and union territories.
The report seeks to enable cross-learning and collaboration, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of school mental health initiatives in India and improving outcomes for its young population.
The Key Findings chapter presents a summary of insights across state-led initiatives on mental health in schools. Multi-tiered programmes include components of promotion, prevention and intervention. Insights shed light on diversity of approaches, interministerial and interdepartmental coordination, policy alignment, referral systems and linkages, year of inception, beneficiaries and multi-stakeholder engagement. The chapter on Case Studies provides detailed insights on initiatives across states.
Dr. Chetna Duggal and Kanak Kataria, School Initiative for Mental Health Advocacy (SIMHA), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
Yashasvi Murali, Anushka Anand, Ritika Ramasuri, Sarah Joseph, Anoushka Radhakrishnan, Kritagya Kriti, Jyotir Sondhi and Lakshmi Sethuraman, Sattva Knowledge Institute
We extend our sincerest gratitude to everyone who contributed to the development of this report. We thank the state officials for sharing information and insights on initiatives, as well as development partners working with the states for their guidance. We also want to acknowledge and thank officials from state governments, who were not able to contribute to the report, for their time and interest in engaging with our teams. We also thank members of Sattva’s internal teams, for their guidance and support with facilitation of connections. The names of the individuals are listed in alphabetical order.
• Dr Abha Sharma, Principal, School Health and Wellness Programme and National Population, Education Project, SCERT, Rajasthan
• Akanksha Thakore, Practice Lead – Mental Well-being and SEL, NalandaWay Foundation
• Amarjit Jena, Chief Executive Officer, Mo School Abhiyan Parichalana Sangathan, Dept. of School & Mass Education, Odisha
• Anshu Dubey, Senior Program Director, Piramal Foundation and SEE Learning Expert
• Binod Kumar, Lead – Strategic Partnerships and Government Relations, WorldBeing
• C.G.Keshava Murthy, Psychiatric Social Worker, DMHP Bangalore Rural, Karnataka
• Commissioner & Director, Department of School Education, Telangana
• Director, SCERT, Telangana
• Gaurav Goswami, RSCERT Faculty, Subject Expert, Assessment Cell, Rajasthan
• Dr Girish Kumar DP, Psychiatrist, DMHP Bangalore Rural, Karnataka
• Kavya Rajagopal, Programme Officer, SIMHA, TISS Mumbai
• Ketaki Vengsarkar, Programme Officer, SIMHA, TISS Mumbai
• Mukesh Singh Shekhawat, Program Director, STP/PU Rajasthan, Piramal School of Leadership & Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership
• Nitin Sodhi, Associate Director, Partnerships, Labhya Foundation
• Payal Kumari Gupta, Program Leader, Piramal Foundation
• Dr Rabin Chhetri, Director, SCERT Sikkim
• Dr. Rajani Parthasarathy, Deputy Director (Mental Health), Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka
• Ranju Pradhan, State Coordinator, NPEP, SCERT Sikkim
• Shaleen Mitra, OSD to Health Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi
• Sheila Ramaswamy, Technical & Operational Lead, SAMVAD, NIMHANS Bengaluru
• Dr Shekhar Seshadri, Former Senior Professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Advisor-SAMVAD, NIMHANS Bengaluru
• Dr. Sridhara Mishra, Programme Manager, Capacity Building and Training, Mo School, Abhiyan Parichalana Sangathan, Odisha
• Sriram Ayer, Founder & CEO, NalandaWay Foundation
• Dr Veena V., Deputy Director (RBSK, RKSK & SHUCHI), MoHFW, Karnataka
