BITS rolls out student welfare measures

Margao: Yoga in the curriculum, strengthened sports programmes, extended gymnasium hours and round-the-clock counselling — BITS Pilani has rolled out a slew of student welfare measures aimed at addressing the mental health crisis at the institute, which has witnessed a series of student suicides in recent years.

The measures were presented by the director of BITS Pilani Suman Kundu at a meeting of the district level monitoring committee (DLMC) on mental health and prevention of suicide in higher education institutions, chaired by South Goa district magistrate Egna Cleetus.

Besides the yoga and sports initiatives, the institute has also been conducting health camps and motivational sessions for students, Kundu informed the collector. Counselling support is being provided round the clock through Tele-MANAS and the Myndwell platform, ensuring students have access to professional mental health assistance at any hour, it was informed.

The measures come against the backdrop of a series of student suicides at the Goa campus over the past several years, which had drawn widespread concern.

Chairing the meeting, Cleetus directed all stakeholders to ensure close coordination and sustained monitoring of the initiatives, with focused efforts towards strengthening mental health support systems and promoting overall student well-being.

Director of higher education Bhushan Savaikar was also present, along with officials from the departments of health, social welfare, law, tribal welfare, technical education and the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB).