In a joint effort to improve the mental health care system in schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, have initiated a five-day training programme for school counsellors and wellness teachers under an initiative named Project MATE (Mind Activation Through Education).
The program started on August 26 at AIIMS and will continue until August 30, gathering 50 counsellors from CBSE-affiliated Delhi-NCR schools. It seeks to provide participants with systematic tools and techniques to deal with urgent adolescent mental health concerns like anxiety, loneliness, emotional disconnection, and peer conflict.
Organised by mental health professionals from AIIMS, the programme follows the MATE-5 model, which provides a focus on five distinct areas: building resilience, stress management, peer relationships, emotional regulation, and awareness of behaviour. Training sessions provide coverage of a broad range of issues such as the biopsychosocial approach to health, digital well-being, family dynamics, and successful counselling practices.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, and communications experts are facilitating the sessions in order to maintain a multidisciplinary approach. The programme further comprises modules on how to involve parents, establish peer-led support networks, and assess the influence of interventions in schools.
Project MATE is being implemented as a pilot at present, with CBSE intending to track its influence before scaling up nationally. If successful, the program has the potential to standardise mental well-being support across Indian schools and create a more compassionate school environment for students.
