Schools play a vital role in shaping students’ resilience by empowering them with knowledge of and access to professional mental health services, the CBSE stated in a circular issued this month.

Highlighting the ministry of health and family welfare’s efforts to make “mental health services more accessible, stigma-free, and youth-friendly,” the board encouraged schools to integrate these initiatives within their environments.

The circular details the National Mental Health Programme (Tele-MANAS), which offers a free and confidential helpline to support the well-being of citizens across India, especially students. Schools have been asked to prominently display Tele-MANAS helpline numbers and the QR code for the app at key locations such as counsellor rooms, notice boards, libraries, and computer labs.

Additionally, schools should include mental health awareness and Tele-MANAS information in newsletters, student handbooks, assemblies, and parent-teacher meetings, the circular stated. The board also recommended capacity building for school counsellors and encouraging age-appropriate, peer-led health awareness activities aligned with existing school programmes.

Satabdi Bhattacharjee, principal of The Newtown School, said: “We have put up posters on all our notice boards to spread awareness about mental well-being and the message that it’s okay to ask for help.”

The aim is to help children unburden themselves rather than keep their struggles bottled up inside, she added.

Bhattacharjee explained the value of the 24x7 helpline: “Since the child doesn’t know the person on the other end, it can be reassuring — they won’t be judged, and it offers an unbiased perspective.”

Addressing mental health in parent-teacher meetings is equally important, as schools have encountered resistance from some parents. One principal said: “After the first meeting with the parent and counsellor, we have seen cases where the child stops attending sessions because the parents are unhappy with the child speaking to a counsellor.”