12 Signatures
500 for collection target
Petition addressed to: Central Board of Secondary Education India, Supreme Court of India
2026 showed us how fragile we are. After June alone, we saw floods in Assam and Nepal, war, personal losses, and a silent mental health crisis in our classrooms.
Our students are suffering in silence — anxiety, depression, academic pressure, grief, and trauma — with nowhere to go for help.
We demand that the Ministry of Education & UGC make it mandatory for every school and college in India to have a qualified, full-time, in-house mental health therapist/counsellor.
Why is this urgent?
1. 1 in 7 young Indians faces mental health issues, but 90% of our educational institutions have no professional support.
2. Teachers are not therapists. Friends are not therapists. We need trained professionals.
3. Early intervention saves lives. A single counsellor can prevent a lifetime of trauma and even suicide.
Education is incomplete without mental well-being. If we can mandate a PT teacher and a librarian, we can mandate a mental health therapist.
This is not a luxury. It's a necessity.
Sign this petition to make mental health support a right, not a privilege, for every student in India.
Reason
I am starting this petition after watching 2026 break us.
From January to June, it was all celebrations. After June, everything changed — floods in Nepal, floods in Assam that submerged homes, news of war, and around us, friends losing parents, paper leaks and students losing hope. I saw young people who smiled in college fests, crying alone in hostels with no one to talk to.
Like many, I felt helpless. Teachers said "focus on studies." Family said "be strong." But no one was trained to listen.
And I am not alone.
The data proves this is not just my feeling, it’s a national emergency:
1. Student suicides have hit a record high: 14,488 students died by suicide in 2024 alone — that’s 40 students every day, nearly 1 every 36 minutes. This is an 80% increase in the last 10 years. Over 1.23 lakh students lost between 2014-2024. https://www.thenewsnow.co.in/over-1-23-lakh-students-died-by-suicide-in-10-years-ncrb/
2. The government itself accepts the reason: The Ministry of Education told Parliament the causes are "academic pressure, mental health problems, family issues, financial difficulties." Experts say weak support systems and untreated distress are fueling it.
3. WHO says 1 in 7 young Indians (10-19 years) has a mental health condition, but India has only 0.75 psychiatrists per 1 lakh people (WHO, National Mental Health Survey 2016). In most schools, we have ZERO. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/beyond-seek-help-what-happens-when-students-reach-out-for-mental-health-support/articleshow/134190452.cms
4. Even our top colleges failed: A UGC inquiry found colleges showed "serious lapses" and "insensitivity" when students reported distress before dying by suicide.
This is why NeelAshraya Foundation believes a building with a library, a playground, and a lab, but without a therapist, is incomplete.
My ask is simple and achievable:
If every school/college must have a fire extinguisher for physical safety, why not a therapist for mental safety?
I don’t want another student to feel alone after a personal loss, a disaster, or an exam failure. I have felt that loneliness. You might have too.
Please sign, because the next life saved could be from your own classroom.
Source: NCRB Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India Report 2024
Thank you so much for your support, NeelAshraya Foundation, Hubli
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Petition details
Petition started:
30 Sep 2026
Collection ends:
03/29/2027
Region:
India
Topic:
Civil rights
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I'm so dismayed by the state of attention to mental health in India.
I understand that the numbers by themselves might not tell the whole story
But we do know how much stigma, phobia, and hesitation is involved in seeking treatment -- especially for youngsters and senior citizens. They continue to be the most vulnerable segments of our population. So, I applaud this initiative and welcome the recommendations.
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Mental health is as important as physical health and it should not be neglected, firstly it's really important to reduce the stigma about mental health and discuss our problems freely and take a Prof help without any hesitation