Following the tragic suicide of a Class 10 student from a private school in Ahmedabad, district education authorities have announced the launch of a large-scale psychological counselling campaign aimed at over five lakh students across all 1,800 private schools in the city. The initiative is set to begin next Saturday under the existing Project Sarthi programme.
According to a media report, Ahmedabad City District Education Officer (DEO) Rohit Chaudhary, “The incident was a wake-up call. Beginning this Saturday, Project Sarthi will expand to cover all 1,800 private schools. Initially, two teachers from each school will be trained online as counsellors, who will then offer support to students.”
Originally launched last year, Project Sarthi currently operates in around 200 schools and is run by Namaste Life Health Care Foundation. The programme addresses five core areas: healthy nutrition, coping with stress and exam anxiety, building emotional resilience and self-confidence, raising awareness about social media and substance addictions, and preventing harassment.
The latest push comes after another tragic incident this week, where a Class 12 student from Som Lalit School in Navrangpura died by suicide. According to school officials, the student had been suffering from depression and had remained on leave for nearly a month.
Starting August 2, monthly online sessions will be held for principals, teachers, and parents. Weekly virtual sessions will also be conducted by professionals—psychologists, sociologists, dieticians, paediatricians, and yoga experts—focusing on mental and physical wellness. Students will be encouraged to speak up about their issues, with a promise of confidentiality.
The initiative also aims to tackle hidden stress, peer pressure, and addiction-related concerns. Teachers will be trained to identify students in need of support and will be sensitized to their responsibilities in such cases. The DEO’s office plans to hold one expert-led wellness session every month in each school, involving not just students and teachers, but also parents and local community leaders.
So far, nearly 500 principals and teachers have undergone training under the programme. Some schools will also introduce anonymous drop-boxes for students to report psychological or other concerns directly to school counsellors.