How IIT Kharagpur's mental health inititative enforces stereotypes
The idea behind 'Campus Mothers' is that trained volunteers who reside on campus, who may be faculty or non-faculty — and who necessarily must be women and mothers — will provide mentorship for students in the form of conversations and shared meals, with initial contact being made via an AI platform. Speaking on the venture, IIT Kharagpur's new director Suman Chakraborty told the press, 'Having gone through motherhood, they understand the unique challenges children face'.
This sentiment is patently untrue: women who are mothers are not capable of greater empathy than others; motherhood in itself does not impart any particular virtues; young adults attending college should not be infantilised; and the emotional labour that is being requested from these volunteers is highly gendered and merely replicates the cultural burden placed on women to nurture — as though to do so is our intrinsic gift. Moreover, the request itself is also unethical. Unsurprisingly, there has also been criticism from mental health professionals who question why paid, professional care has been eschewed in this framework. The institution however clarified that the 'Campus Mothers' programme will not replace such care, only supplement it.
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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
How IIT Kharagpur's mental health inititative enforces stereotypes
In a commendable acknowledgement of mental health issues affecting its student population — after at least three suicides were reported so far this year — IIT Kharagpur recently announced that it will be introducing programmes that offer support for students in distress. However, the first initiative that was widely publicised, 'Campus Mothers', has rightfully been criticised for its patriarchal underpinning. The institution has since clarified that 'Campus Mothers' is only a part of a five-pronged approach to inculcating greater mental health among students, and is not to be treated as a stand-alone effort. The idea behind 'Campus Mothers' is that trained volunteers who reside on campus, who may be faculty or non-faculty — and who necessarily must be women and mothers — will provide mentorship for students in the form of conversations and shared meals, with initial contact being made via an AI platform. Speaking on the venture, IIT Kharagpur's new director Suman Chakraborty told the press, 'Having gone through motherhood, they understand the unique challenges children face'. This sentiment is patently untrue: women who are mothers are not capable of greater empathy than others; motherhood in itself does not impart any particular virtues; young adults attending college should not be infantilised; and the emotional labour that is being requested from these volunteers is highly gendered and merely replicates the cultural burden placed on women to nurture — as though to do so is our intrinsic gift. Moreover, the request itself is also unethical. Unsurprisingly, there has also been criticism from mental health professionals who question why paid, professional care has been eschewed in this framework. The institution however clarified that the 'Campus Mothers' programme will not replace such care, only supplement it.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Campus Mothers to supplement professionals, not replace them: IIT Kharagpur Director
Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT KGP), Dr. Suman Chakraborty, said on Monday (July 14, 2025) that the 'campus mothers' initiative is part of a new five-pronged programme geared towards student well-being, and 'not a standalone initiative at the expense of professional counselling.' 'We cannot look at the 'campus mothers' initiative in isolation. It is not designed to replace trained psychologists, but to supplement them with a motherly touch. We aim to make student welfare more holistic and not centred only on professional counselling,' he said. On Monday, a day before the institute's 71st convocation, Dr. Chakraborty announced 'SETU' (Support, Empathy, Transformation, and Upliftment), a new, five-pronged mental health framework. It expands student welfare from core psychological counselling to multiple granular, tech enabled, and scientifically designed intervention programmes spanning hostels, gymkhana, academic units etc, he said. 'In addition to the 'campus mothers' initiative, SETU includes an upgraded counselling centre, an AI-driven student welfare app, campus wellness groups, hostel welfare units, and student engagement projects. The framework comprises these five pillars working together', Dr. Chakraborty said. According to the Director, the programme was designed by professional psychological experts and technology experts, both from the institute and outside. These developments assume significance in light of multiple suicides and unnatural deaths on the IIT KGP campus in the last few years, with three students passing away this year itself. Addressing past incidents, the Director, on Monday, emphasised on 'prevention of unfortunate incidents over being procedurally sound afterwards.' 'Earlier, student well-being was mainly centred around the counselling centre. Whoever faced any trouble would be directed there. But with a campus that has 20,000 students, the counselling centre alone should not be tasked with their welfare. We must assume that at some point in time, each of those students would require emotional support and that support should be available at all levels,' Dr. Chakraborty said. Currently, the counselling centre has roughly 15 on-campus counsellors. Additionally, a team of external experts will be visiting the institute on July 21 to consult on student welfare issues, he added. Notably, as part of SETU, the on-campus counselling centre is being 'upgraded' to include 24/7 online counselling, group sessions, stress management workshops, and hostel-level outreach programmes along with one-on-one therapy and psychiatric consultations. The upgrade is in its 'advanced stages'. The Director also highlighted the involvement of peers, especially hostel mates, in early identification and intervention as part of the new framework. 'Hostel peers can play an important role in vigilance, and in identifying and flagging sudden and complex behavioural changes. Students can normalise openness and provide accessible support to each other in ways no top-down model can replicate. In fact, we will have welfare units granulated up to each wing of every hall of residence,' Dr. Chakraborty said. The new SETU framework, which is being developed on 'war footing', is expected to be launched with the arrival of the new batch of students on July 25. The Director said he would give an elaborate presentation on the same to incoming students and guardians. 'Not a gendered programme' Dr Chakraborty also addressed allegations and grievances that have cropped up online and in the mental health fraternity against the 'campus mothers' programme. 'This is not a gendered programme. Rather this is a gender balancing programme, to engage more women in student welfare initiatives. Ninety percent of the committees and programmes are already dominated by men,' he said. He also added that the volunteers will be trained by professional psychologists to ensure 'ethical, respectful interactions.' The 'campus mothers' initiative, newly introduced by IIT KGP and expected to launch on July 25, seeks to involve elder female volunteers from among campus residents to offer informal emotional support to students and add a 'motherly touch' to the student welfare framework. However, it was heavily criticised by mental health professionals for taking a 'gendered' approach. Questions were also raised on whether volunteers would practise non-judgment, confidentiality, and other professional counselling ethics. Campus security plan in the works The IIT KGP Director on Monday also announced that a similar, multi-pronged campus security plan is in the works. 'Campus security not just includes safety of women, but also preventing instances of physical attacks, substance abuse, etc. However, tightening security does not mean harassing people unnecessarily. We are planning to develop similar pillars to bolster campus security, and like in SETU, tech will be used for improved data management. We will prepare for the best, but we cannot guarantee outcomes,' Dr Chakraborty said. This development follows multiple instances of crime against women in educational institutions in the State, namely RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, South Calcutta Law College, and most recently, the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
AI tool, ‘campus moms' to curb IIT Kharagpur student deaths
Kolkata: The rising number of student deaths on campus has prompted IIT Kharagpur to launch a first-of-its-kind AI-powered emotional health monitoring tool that enables anonymous self check-ins and early alert systems. Besides, the institute will also introduce an initiative titled 'campus mothers', under which wives of faculty members and staffers, along with mental health professionals, will offer the warmth of parental care and affection to holistically address the emotional crisis of students. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The AI tool integrated in an app is part of the institute's holistic wellness and engagement framework — Support, Empathy, Transformation, and Upliftment (SETU), which will roll out from July 25 during the induction programme of a new undergraduate (UG) batch. "The app will be secured so that vulnerable student data is not leaked. The system will allow wardens, faculty advisors, and trained peer mentors to respond in real-time with contextual sensitivity," director Suman Chakraborty said. The tool is being developed by in-house experts and a consultancy tech firm. SETU will also include professional care by psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors. It will also focus on peer empowerment, and community bonding to address the well-being of students. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Upto 15% Discount for Salaried Individuals ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo "It is the students who can be vigilant and alert us whenever they see some complex behavioural change among their hostel mates," added Chakraborty, while explaining the peer-empowered initiative. The institute has witnessed three suicide deaths in six months and nine deaths in the last five years. "With 20,000 students and 15 mental health experts at the counselling centre, it is physically not possible to cater to the needs of the students. Therefore, we need technological intervention along with a human touch so that the quality of life of the students on campus becomes better," the director said. The initiative is being rolled out as a pilot project at IIT Kharagpur and will serve as a national model for the other IITs. TOI earlier reported about Sarth (Support, Acceptance, Resilience, Therapy, and Healing), which focused on upgrading the institute's counselling centre and offering one-on-one therapy and psychiatric consultations while maintaining confidentiality, hostel-level outreach programmes, 24/7 online counselling via Your Dost, among other measures.
