IIT-kgp hostel-wise counselling programmes

Kolkata: IIT-Kharagpur started hostel-wise counselling programmes for students from Friday to relieve them of exam stress as end-semesters are underway. The institute allotted specific dates for different hostels and assigned two counsellors for each interactive session with the students. The counselling programme, which roped in 10 mental health experts, will continue till April 29 and will cover all the hostels, including research scholars' halls.
This is probably the first time the institute is making efforts to organise counselling programmes for students hall-wise, said a section of professors.

Fourth-year ocean engineering and naval architecture student Aniket Walkar was found hanging in his room at J C Bose Hall on Sunday evening. It is the second death in the semester and the third in the last 10 months at IIT-Kharagpur. It is also the eighth death in five years that the institute has witnessed.
On Friday, students from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hall of Residence, Azad Hall, B C Roy Hall, B R Ambedkar Hall, and Gokhale Hall of Residence participated in the interactive counselling programmes in the evening. A source said, "Two counsellors conducted an hour-long interactive session with the students from Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hall of Residence, Azad Hall, and B C Roy Hall. Another two counsellors interacted with the students from B R Ambedkar Hall and Gokhale Hall of Residence. These sessions mainly focused on how to manage exam stress and motivate the students as semester exams are going on."
Dean of Students Affairs Bhargab Maitra said, "Keeping in mind that the semester exams are going on and students might be stressed, and also the unfortunate incident that happened, we decided to immediately arrange for hostel-wise counselling programmes so that students can interact with the counsellors and learn about managing stress. It is also about reaching out to students and motivating them."
Maitra shared that they are planning to introduce counselling in a more structured way throughout the year, where different sessions will be conducted in different hostels so that awareness is generated and students do not feel hesitant to share problems with experts. "We are also focusing on being proactive in strengthening the mental well-being of students through group discussions on accepting failures, a larger understanding of life and society, managing stress, and societal issues. We will also reach out to students in hostels and try to understand their problems through interactions. Our aim is to holistically approach the mental health issue so that it can bring about a transformation in the students' lives through motivating their academic, collective, emotional, and personal growth," added Maitra.
TOI reported earlier that IIT-Kharagpur authorities have started reaching out to students by pasting QR codes on the doors of each hostel room with messages like "Let's talk! Scan to connect," and "Every problem has a solution. Let's find it together." The institution has also restructured and transformed the institutional role of its counselling centre, besides introducing reforms in the organisational set-up to support the mental health and well-being of students at the institute.