Mental Health in Schools: Is the CBSE-AIIMS Virtual Series Enough?

When “World Mental Health Week” Ends, What Happens Next?

In a world where even primary-schoolers use “stress” in their vocabulary, mental health in schools has gone from a whispered topic to a national talking point. Last week, CBSE and AIIMS joined hands for a virtual awareness series (Oct 4–10), a commendable step ahead of World Mental Health Day. But as screens flicker with experts and hashtags, parents can’t help but ask: Will this conversation last beyond a week of webinars?

The Problem: Rising Stress, Hidden Stigma

Across India, reports of student burnout, exam anxiety, and self-harm have quietly risen. Surveys show that one in every seven adolescents in India experiences mental-health issues, yet less than 10 % receive support. In many schools, counseling remains a checkbox requirement: one counselor for thousands of students, often shared across campuses.

And stigma persists. Children hesitate to ask for help, fearing it’ll end up as gossip. Teachers are untrained in early identification. Parents, often products of the “just study harder” generation, feel unequipped to intervene.

The result: stress becomes invisible until it erupts.

What the CBSE-AIIMS Series Offers

Between October 4 and 10, the Central Board of Secondary Education and AIIMS Delhi hosted a digital series on student mental health. Each day features psychologists and doctors discussing stress management, emotional regulation, and peer support. The sessions are streamed on the CBSE academic portal, with open access for teachers, students, and parents.

It’s a solid beginning: free, credible, and timed around the global mental-health spotlight. Parents can revisit recordings and share them within parent-teacher groups.

The Catch: Awareness Without Access

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: virtual awareness doesn’t equal local access. For a child struggling in a classroom, a YouTube playlist is not enough.

CBSE’s intent is strong, but without trained counselors in every school and parent participation, these sessions risk becoming token events. Mental health can’t be addressed in a week of screens; it needs year-round safe spaces in real classrooms.

Imagine if every school followed up the virtual week with:

• Small-group “listening circles” run by teachers and parents.

• Monthly mental-health check-ins, just like PTMs.

• A feedback log is shared with parents after each campaign.

Until that happens, the system remains top-down—well-meaning, but distant.

What Parents Can Do Now

If your child’s school streamed the CBSE-AIIMS sessions, that’s a good sign but the real impact begins with follow-through.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Ask your school what comes after the webinars. Are there peer-group discussions, reflection activities, or counselor hours scheduled?

2. Request in-person sessions. A short 30-minute circle time each month can normalize emotional talk better than a dozen expert lectures.

3. Collaborate, don’t confront. Suggest forming a parent-teacher “well-being committee” to co-design activities.

4. Check in at home. Talk openly with your child after each session—what part made sense, what didn’t. It builds trust that professionals alone can’t.

   
   

The SchoolDoor Point of View

The CBSE-AIIMS initiative is a welcome start, but not a solution. It shows national intent, not yet local ownership. Real well-being grows when parents, teachers, and schools treat mental health as part of learning, not an annual campaign.

The next step is ours—to make sure these conversations don’t fade when the webinars end. If parents can demand better food hygiene or fee transparency, we can also demand emotional safety.

Call to Action

📣 Ask your school to host in-person peer-group discussions or follow-up counseling sessions before this month ends. Share your experience with SchoolDoor—we’re mapping how schools across India act beyond awareness week.