All secondary and higher secondary schools in Gujarat must now constitute dedicated mental health teams and, where enrolment crosses 100 students, appoint at least one qualified counsellor — under sweeping new regulations notified by the state government on 2 November 2026. The rules apply to institutions affiliated with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) and cover students of Classes 9 to 12.

What the New Regulations Require

The Education Department has inserted Regulation 16(A) into the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Regulations, 1974, and added detailed provisions in Appendix 8 addressing mental health, student welfare and suicide prevention. Every eligible school must form a School Wellness Team (SWT) at the start of each academic year, with the principal leading it and a trained counsellor or designated teacher serving as coordinator.

The team must include one teacher each from the secondary and higher secondary sections, a School Management Committee representative, a non-teaching staff member, and two student peer leaders — called 'Mano-Mitra' — one each from Classes 9-10 and 11-12. The Mano-Mitra representatives will offer initial emotional support to classmates and channel those in need toward professional help.

Schools with fewer than 100 students must forge formal referral arrangements with external mental health professionals, nearby Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres, the District Mental Health Programme, and Tele-MANAS services.

The Legal and Policy Backdrop

The move follows a Supreme Court judgment that laid down 15 binding guidelines and four directives on student mental health and suicide prevention in educational institutions. The Union Ministry of Law and Justice subsequently directed states to implement those directions. Gujarat has also adopted the UMMEED guidelines — developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) — as a reference framework. UMMEED stands for Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower and Develop.

According to officials, the decision was taken under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja, and Minister of State for Education Rivaba Jadeja.

Protections Against Academic Pressure and Humiliation

The regulations explicitly prohibit schools from segregating students on the basis of academic performance, examination results or marks — whether inside or outside classrooms. Students must not be publicly humiliated, compared with peers, or stigmatised over grades. Practices that create anxiety, fear, an inferiority complex or emotional insecurity are barred outright.

Special mentoring arrangements are required during high-stress transitions: board examinations, result announcements, and the shifts from Class 8 to 9 and Class 10 to 11. Dedicated mentors or counsellors must be assigned to small groups during these periods. Schools must also regularly organise co-curricular activities — yoga, meditation, art, music, gardening, dance and sports — and make programmes such as Khel Mahakumbh, Pariksha Pe Charcha, NSS, NCC, Scouts and Guides, and community service part of their wellness calendar.

Confidentiality, Accountability and Crisis Response

Mental health training for all teaching and non-teaching staff is mandatory at least twice a year, to be conducted by certified professionals covering psychological first aid, warning-sign identification, self-harm response and referral protocols. Student counselling records must be kept strictly confidential and shared only with persons directly involved in a student's safety or treatment.

In the event of a suicide, schools must activate a postvention process — providing psychological support to students, staff and affected families. Only the principal or an authorised officer may speak to the media, and details about the method, location, photographs or sensitive personal information must not be disclosed. Schools that fail to act despite awareness of a risk situation — and where that failure is found to have contributed to serious harm — face disciplinary or legal action under applicable laws.

Oversight rests with a District-Level Monitoring Committee chaired by the District Magistrate or District Collector, which will review compliance, coordinate guidance and recommend corrective measures across all institutions in its jurisdiction.

What Comes Next

The regulations set an ambitious compliance architecture that will test Gujarat's school infrastructure, particularly in smaller or rural institutions that must now establish external referral networks. How swiftly the GSHSEB conducts the first round of mandatory staff training — and whether the District-Level Monitoring Committees are adequately resourced — will determine whether the framework delivers on its intent.