IIT-M, Kauvery Hospital to assess freshers

IIT- Madras in partnership with Kauvery Hospitals will assess the mental health of

incoming students to identify those vulnerable to stress. The institute plans to

provide leniency to students with mental health problems, such as relaxing

attendance requirements and allowing them to make up missed tests.

A wellness survey revealed that two percent of students on campus were

stressed. The institute will also counsel parents during admissions to raise

awareness about mental health.

Facial recognition systems will be implemented to monitor student behavior.

Following recent suicides, IIT Madras has partnered with Kauvery Hospital for

counseling services

Between February and March this year four IIT-M students died by suicide. A

wellness survey among 12,000 students on the campus found that two per cent of

them were stressed.

IIT-M Dean (Students) Dr Satyanarayana N Gummadi said professional counselors

will analyze students through interviews or questionnaires. “It will help us identify

students who may get stressed. Our faculty members will focus on such students

more,” he said.

Faculty members say parental pressure and expectation of a big pay package as

the main reasons for stress among students. The institute is also planning to

counsel parents during the admission next year to create awareness about mental

health issues.

“For the parents, we will have sessions in multiple languages including Hindi,

English and Tamil. It will focus on possible mental health issues of students and

how the family can support them,” Gummadi says

The institute will soon have a facial recognition system at the mess and other

facilities used by students. This is part of a proposed system to monitor student

behavior by studying their attendance in classes, frequency of visits to mess, labs

and places like gym. Any student with irregular attendance will get a call from the

counselors to check whether all is well