Dharmendra Pradhan reviews draft mental health policy for schools; says well-being key to quality education

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

The Education Minister also said the policy should “leverage Indian Knowledge Systems and culture” and be “practically implementable”, while positioning teachers as the first level of mentors for students. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a review meeting on the draft National Mental Health and Well-Being Policy for Schools, and sought a holistic and preventive approach to promote mental wellness across the education ecosystem.

The meeting was attended by officials, committee members and domain experts, and focussed on strengthening mental well-being among students, teachers and the wider school community, the Ministry of Education said in a post on X on Friday (June 5, 2026).

Hon'ble Union Minister of Education, Shri @dpradhanbjp, chaired a detailed discussion during a review meeting with officials, committee members and domain experts on the proposed draft National Mental Health & Well-Being Policy for Schools.The deliberations focused on… pic.twitter.com/pjqSbwRb26

"Dharmendra Pradhan chaired a detailed discussion during a review meeting with officials, committee members and domain experts on the proposed draft National Mental Health & Well-Being Policy for Schools," the Ministry said. It was not clear as to when the meeting took place.

Emphasising the importance of a holistic and preventive approach, Mr. Pradhan underscored the need to "foster safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments, build a positive school culture that promotes mental well-being, empathy, care, trust and emotional resilience, and integrate mental health and well-being into school system, practices and implementation as an integral part of quality education".

The Minister also said the policy should "leverage Indian Knowledge Systems and culture" and be "practically implementable", while positioning teachers as the first level of mentors for students. Officials had said last month that the Ministry is also set to roll out a mental health