IIT Kharagpur Appoints First ‘Dean of Students’ Wellbeing’ to Focus on Mental Health
Kolkata, 9 August (H.S.) – In a significant move to prioritise students’ mental health and overall wellbeing, IIT Kharagpur has created a new position, ‘Dean of Students’ Wellbeing,’ for the first time in its history. The decision follows four suspec
Iit kharagpur


Kolkata, 9 August (H.S.) – In a significant move to prioritise students’ mental health and overall wellbeing, IIT Kharagpur has created a new position, ‘Dean of Students’ Wellbeing,’ for the first time in its history. The decision follows four suspected student suicides in campus hostels since January. Professor Arun Chakraborty from the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences has been appointed to the post and has already assumed charge.

Institute Director Suman Chakraborty said on Saturday that Professor Arun Chakraborty has been actively involved in induction programmes for new B.Tech students for many years and has a deep understanding of student concerns. “IIT Kharagpur already has a Dean of Students’ Affairs, but this new role has been created exclusively for students’ wellbeing and mental health. The new Dean will interact with students on the ground level, both in groups and individually,” the director said.

He clarified that the responsibilities of the Dean of Students’ Affairs and the Dean of Students’ Wellbeing are distinct. While the Dean of Students’ Affairs focuses on administrative and academic matters, the Dean of Students’ Wellbeing will concentrate solely on mental health and personal support for students.

“We do not want any of our students to face undue pressure or stress. Changing socio-economic conditions are also affecting students’ mental states. We are holding monthly interactions with parents to ensure that students avoid unnecessary stress even during vacations,” the director added.

The move comes in the wake of the death of Ritam Mandal, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, who was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18. Since January, three other students have died in similar circumstances. IIT Kharagpur has 21 hostels housing nearly 16,000 students.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh


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