IIT Madras becomes first CFTI with ISO-certified wellness centre; hosts national workshop on student mental health

CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has become the first Centrally Funded Technical Institute (CFTI) in the country to secure the ISO 45001:2018 certification for its Wellness Centre, a milestone highlighted on Monday as the institute hosted a regional workshop under the Ministry of Education’s national initiative to strengthen student mental wellbeing across higher education institutions.

Awarded by TUV NORD Group, the certification recognises IIT Madras’ occupational health and safety management systems and its structured approach to promoting student wellbeing through risk identification, preventive interventions and continuous improvement in campus wellness practices.

The two-day workshop, organised under the Ministry’s Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme, brought together nearly 200 faculty members, counsellors, hostel wardens, administrators and student support professionals from institutions across south India. It forms part of a nationwide capacity-building exercise following the recommendations of a Ministry-appointed committee reviewing the implementation of the National Student Wellbeing Framework.

Addressing the programme, Joint Secretary (Higher Education) Rina Sonowal Kouli said the Ministry had trained over 3,000 faculty members since January 2024 through fortnightly capacity-building programmes and would draw lessons from IIT Madras’ student support ecosystem. “There cannot be one fixed path. Different institutions will require different models to strengthen student wellbeing,” she said.

IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said academic excellence must be matched by emotional resilience. “The ISO certification of our wellness systems and the creation of a dedicated Associate Dean (Students-Wellness) position reflect our commitment to making student wellbeing a strategic institutional priority,” he said.

Dean (Students) Satyanarayana Gummadi said the institute’s model integrates mentoring, peer support, counselling, hostel engagement and early intervention, while Associate Dean (Students-Wellness) Suresh Kumar Rayala stressed the importance of preventive, accessible and stigma-free support systems.

The workshop concluded with participating institutions adopting recommendations to strengthen mentoring, counselling, hostel support and preventive mental health frameworks across higher education campuses.