Gurgaon: Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) is preparing to roll out a training module to help colleges and universities in the state identify student distress early, respond to crises in a standardised way and build emotionally safer campuses, with the aim of preventing suicides among students in higher education.

HIPA said the initiative is designed to bridge the gap between existing guidelines and on-ground implementation, giving institutions uniform tools, procedures and training standards to support student wellbeing. The module will focus on preventive, promotive and responsive mental health measures, including a framework for early identification of distress, standardised crisis-management protocols, faculty sensitisation guidelines and institution-level action plans.

The plan was shaped through a first-of-its-kind workshop that brought together six subject experts and 25 principals and faculty members from colleges and universities across Haryana. Among the experts were Dr Nand Kumar from AIIMS and Prof Vikas from NIT Kurukshetra.

Deliberations were anchored in the directions of the Supreme Court, National Task Force (NTF) and advisories and frameworks issued by University Grants Commission (UGC), with a strong emphasis on preventive, promotive and institution-driven strategies.

The seminar was convened amid growing national concern over rising psychological stress, academic pressure and suicide incidents among students. With Supreme Court, NTF and UGC issuing directives to strengthen institutional mental health systems, the workshop focused on developing a practical, scalable model that Haryana’s higher education institutions can implement.

Participants took part in rigorous brainstorming and highly interactive sessions spanning academic, psychological, administrative and policy-level interventions. Discussions centred on strengthening institutional mechanisms for early identification, support and crisis response, while promoting a culture of care and wellbeing on campuses.

Based on expert inputs, structured group discussions and consensus-building exercises, the draft training module is now in the final stage of consolidation. HIPA said the final module —along with implementation strategies, institutional action plans and training rollout mechanisms — will be released shortly by the director-general, HIPA, in collaboration with the higher education department.

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