Andhra Pradesh to roll out mission-mode mental health support for students: Nara Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh has directed officials to launch large-scale awareness programmes to reduce mental stress among students and to strengthen institutional support systems for mental health across the State.

The direction was issued at a review meeting with senior officials of the School Education, Higher Education and Skill Development departments held at his residence in Undavalli on Wednesday. Mr. Lokesh said a special programme focusing on mental health awareness, guidance and institutional support should be implemented in mission mode.

Samagra Shiksha State Project Director B. Srinivasa Rao informed the Minister that the CARE AP tool, developed to address students' mental health concerns, had completed its pilot programme.

On the Heartfulness Yoga programme, Mr. Lokesh directed officials to provide yoga training to about 4.47 lakh students in 935 government schools in the first phase. Mr. Srinivasa Rao said 2,000 interested teachers would be trained by the Kanha Shanti Vanam organisation in Hyderabad. These teachers would, in turn, conduct yoga classes in hybrid mode this year, while fully physical training sessions would be introduced from the next year.

Academic performance was also reviewed. The Minister asked officials to focus on improving results and set a target of 90 per cent in both the Class 10 and Intermediate examinations, urging them to work with dedication to achieve and exceed their Key Performance Indicator targets.

Mr. Lokesh proposed implementing Facial Recognition Systems (FRS) in universities and colleges to improve attendance among students and faculty. He appreciated teachers and officials for the effective implementation of the Mission March programme across the State.

He said subject teachers lagging behind in syllabus completion should undergo mandatory capacity-building programmes with mentor teachers. He also stressed the importance of achieving 100 per cent literacy under the Akshara Andhra programme by the end of next year, in line with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's vision.

Reviewing the Skill Development Department, the Minister directed officials to develop 10 industry-linked ITI clusters across the State in the first phase under the PM SETU scheme, with the participation of industrial companies. He asked them to consult companies in sectors such as steel, renewable energy, aquaculture and pharmaceuticals, and to prepare a 90-day action plan for developing the clusters.

A.P. State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) Managing Director Ganesh Kumar said 5.43 lakh people had received skill training across the State so far, while 1.72 lakh people had secured employment through job fairs conducted over the past two years. Mr. Lokesh directed officials to involve MLAs and other public representatives in organising job fairs to expand employment opportunities.

Mental health support in schools has drawn increasing attention in India in recent years, with several States and central agencies introducing counselling services, helplines and teacher training modules. In Andhra Pradesh, the CARE AP tool is the platform identified for addressing students' mental health concerns.

The directions were issued during an internal review meeting. Implementation schedules and funding details for the proposed mental health programme were not part of the information released after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Human Resources Department Principal Secretary J. Shyamala Rao, Higher Education Director Narayana Bharat Gupta, Intermediate Education Director Ranjit Basha, School Education Director Tameem Ansaria, and others.