A comprehensive state-level framework addressing student safety, mental health, and grievance redressal will soon be implemented across all universities — government and private alike — following a directive from the Union Law and Judiciary Ministry.
Acting on a Supreme Court (SC) order issued during the hearing of a Special Leave Petition, the Centre has instructed state chief secretaries to introduce preventive measures targeting student mental health and suicide in higher education institutions. The SC has emphasized that these policies must cover every university and affiliated college, with the exception of those associated with agricultural universities.
In Maharashtra, the Higher and Technical Education Department has been appointed as the nodal agency to implement the new code and has set up an 11-member expert committee to draft it. The panel is chaired by Dr. Hemlata Bagla, Vice Chancellor of HSNC University, Mumbai. Key members include Dr. Asmita Chitnis, former Director of the Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune; Dr. Nayna Nimkar, Director of Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences; Dr. Neha Jagtiyani, Principal of R.D. & S.H. National College, Bandra; along with several senior academicians and psychologists from leading universities. Dr. Sunil Patil, Director of the Student Welfare Department at Mumbai University, will serve as the member secretary.
The committee’s mandate is to prepare a draft policy in line with the Supreme Court’s directives, while also incorporating provisions from the UMMEED guidelines issued by the Union Education Ministry, and directives on student safety and well-being from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The panel will consult with universities, students, parents, and administrators before submitting its report within two months, according to a government resolution issued on Friday.
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