The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has announced a counselling and resilience education fellowship programme for school counsellors.
The program aims to enhance the council's helpline service, scheduled to be launched during the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) exams in 2026, while fostering "long-term institutional capacity" for student support, said a CISCE circular sent to schools.
School principals were told to nominate one counsellor from their institution by January 6.
"The Council for the Indian School Examinations (CISCE) is pleased to announce the CISCE-Care (Counselling and Resilience Education) fellowship, a professional development initiative for student counsellors working in CISCE-affiliated schools in India and abroad," the circular states.
The fellowship will comprise a cohort of over 100 student counsellors and is designed for a period of seven months, beginning mid-January.
"These counsellors will serve as ambassadors for student well-being, contributing to the CISCE initiative by providing effective support to students as they navigate academic and examination pressure, personal challenges, and social complexities of contemporary life," the council said.
Many schools have more than one counsellor.
Prioritising mental well-being is mandatory for schools, said Seema Sapru, principal, The Heritage School.
"The exposure to too much information, too many options regarding subject choices and job opportunities, builds up the pressure," said Sapru.
"Schools that are progressive and give holistic education have counsellors, but most schools concentrate only on academics. Family structure has changed. Earlier, grandparents and siblings solved all the problems, but in today's scenario, children seek help from school counsellors, and therefore, this initiative is welcome," said Sapru.
The nominated fellows will be trained by counselling and mental health experts.
CISCE will organise an online interview for nominees. On completion, the council will recognise candidates with a certificate and medal.