New Delhi: In a move aimed at strengthening student well-being and improving access to career guidance, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) made it mandatory for all affiliated schools to appoint mental health and career counsellors.The board amended its affiliation norms to ensure that every school now has a dedicated counselling and wellness teacher, also referred to as a socio-emotional counsellor, along with a career counsellor. Officials stated that the change is designed to offer structured emotional support to students, enabling them to make informed academic and professional decisions.
Under the revised framework, schools must appoint one counselling and wellness teacher for every 500 students. These counsellors will support students and parents, conduct social-emotional learning sessions, intervene during crises, identify mental health concerns and help sensitise teachers and families. They will also be responsible for maintaining confidentiality and ethical standards. CBSE specified that these professionals must hold degrees in psychology or social work with a focus on mental health or counselling, along with completing a mandatory 50-hour CBSE-recognised training programme.Career guidance is also formalised, with CBSE requiring one career counsellor for every 500 students in classes IX to XII. Eligible counsellors may come from disciplines such as humanities, science, social sciences, management, education or technology, ensuring students receive informed advice at key academic stages.To support smaller schools, CBSE introduced a Hub and Spoke model, where larger “hub” schools will mentor nearby “spoke” schools, allowing shared access to counselling resources.An official said, “The initiative is designed to address rising academic stress and the growing need for professional guidance in schools. Earlier norms required full-time counsellors only in larger senior secondary schools, while smaller institutions could rely on part-time arrangements.”Many educators, who have raised concerns about student mental health, said the reforms address long-standing gaps in support systems, particularly after Class X, when students face critical academic decisions. They added that similar measures are now awaited in schools affiliated with other boards.
