Latest news with #SETU
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
IIT Kharagpur director introduces SETU outreach initiative for students
Advt Following four unnatural student deaths on campus this year, IIT Kharagpur on Friday launched a mental health and wellness framework titled SETU - Support, Empathy, Transformation and Upliftment - aimed at creating a resilient, inclusive and student-driven support SETU@IITKGP, a human-tech renaissance in higher education , it was formally launched on Friday by IIT Director Professor Suman initiative is designed not as a standalone support service, but as a deeply integrated, tech-powered and human-centric ecosystem, an institute spokesperson a bridge in Sanskrit, SETU is a metaphor for turning isolation to inclusion, vulnerability to strength, distress to resilience, mind to heart, tradition to technology. marking a bold paradigm shift, the spokesperson rollout follows the tragic deaths of four students in 2025 - Shaon Mallik (Jan 12), Aniket Walker (Apr 20), Mohammad Asif Qamar (May 4), and most recently Ritam Mondal (July 18) - which triggered widespread concern about the mental health and academic stress among spokesperson said, "SETU offers one-on-one therapy, psychiatric care, group sessions, 24/7 online counselling (via YourDOST) and campus-wide outreach without stigma. It also includes an AI-powered emotional health monitoring embedded in halls, academics enabling real-time, culturally sensitive support through anonymous check-ins and early-alert systems."The initiative also encompasses peer-led empowerment through groups like welfare committees and hostel-level units, making wellbeing a decentralized student-driven culture.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
IIT Kharagpur's induction program prioritizes mental health with SETU and parental collaboration
Written by Anisha Ghosh IIT Kharagpur recently inducted over 1800 new students in a vibrant Induction Programme. While the event celebrated academic beginnings, a somber undercurrent of recent student suicides on campus has brought mental health to the forefront of the institute's priorities. During the program, Director Prof. Suman Chakraborty stressed on the crucial need for students to care for one another. He also pledged to enhance parental involvement through regular online meetings, aiming for a collaborative approach to student welfare. 'We will take every input seriously, but parents should also take our inputs seriously,' Prof. Chakraborty stated, advocating for shared responsibility between the institute and families. To address this growing poblem, IIT Kharagpur has launched a new wellness program called SETU. It stands for Support, Empathy, Transformation, and Upliftment and aims to help students deal with emotional stress and mental health challenges. It includes 24/7 online counseling, one-on-one therapy, and mental health support through trained professionals and peer groups. The institute also introduced a programme called 'Campus Mothers', where volunteers will provide a safe space for students to talk and feel supported. However, some parents looking for strong actions highlighted that the recent tragedies are a stark reminder that academic success must not come at the cost of mental well-being. As one of the nation's premier institutions, IIT Kharagpur now faces the critical challenge of fostering an environment where students not only excel academically but also thrive in terms of their health and happiness. 'Biggest problem is our kids are being brought up in competitive environment from 1 to 12 including appearing for JEE where ranks matter than the overall personality. How can we build the culture of collaborative rather than competitive environment. They should learn from each other so that they understand things better.' said a parent. (Anisha Ghosh is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express.)
News18
5 days ago
- Health
- News18
IIT KGP director introduces SETU outreach initiative for students
Kolkata, Jul 25 (PTI) Following four unnatural student deaths on campus this year, IIT Kharagpur on Friday launched a mental health and wellness framework titled SETU — Support, Empathy, Transformation and Upliftment — aimed at creating a resilient, inclusive and student-driven support system. Christened SETU@IITKGP, a human-tech renaissance in higher education, it was formally launched on Friday by IIT Director Professor Suman Chakraborty. The initiative is designed not as a standalone support service, but as a deeply integrated, tech-powered and human-centric ecosystem, an institute spokesperson said. Meaning a bridge in Sanskrit, SETU is a metaphor for turning isolation to inclusion, vulnerability to strength, distress to resilience, mind to heart, tradition to technology. marking a bold paradigm shift, the spokesperson elaborated. The rollout follows the tragic deaths of four students in 2025 — Shaon Mallik (Jan 12), Aniket Walker (Apr 20), Mohammad Asif Qamar (May 4), and most recently Ritam Mondal (July 18) — which triggered widespread concern about the mental health and academic stress among students. The spokesperson said, 'SETU offers one-on-one therapy, psychiatric care, group sessions, 24/7 online counselling (via YourDOST) and campus-wide outreach without stigma. It also includes an AI-powered emotional health monitoring embedded in halls, academics enabling real-time, culturally sensitive support through anonymous check-ins and early-alert systems." The initiative also encompasses peer-led empowerment through groups like welfare committees and hostel-level units, making wellbeing a decentralized student-driven culture. PTI SUS MNB view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 22:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
IIT gets wellness app, set to appoint well-being dean
1 2 Kolkata: Students must build themselves and not their CVs, said IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty at the induction programme for the new BTech students and a special parents' interaction session. He said the misery of most students stems from their "illusion regarding internships and jobs" and urged parents to share responsibility with the institute for the well-being of young minds and support evolving aspirations of students. IIT Kharagpur also launched an AI-driven mental wellness initiative, SETU, for enhanced mental health support for students, which is a blend of technology and human intervention. The director gave a presentation of the app to the freshers and their parents. He also announced that the institute will soon get a dean of student affairs who will be dedicated to looking into wellness aspect of students. "Soon we will introduce some new portfolios of deans. Among them, there will be a dedicated dean who will look into the wellness of students in addition to dean of student affairs," Chakraborty added. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "Students have illusions regarding securing internships and placements. They tend to listen more to their seniors, what we casually call the 'hall effect' (comes from the Hall of Residences, not the physics phenomenon) and think that doing several internships will make their CVs look impressive. It becomes a killer when they focus more on what to write on CVs than themselves. But, there is no need to do several internships. They are useless and are not a decisive factor in job placements," Chakraborty said. The director urged parents to forget about JEE and "normalise the pressure" that the students may be facing from society and media due to their high scores and rankings. "The students got admitted to a particular branch of engineering due to their JEE Advanced ranking. They should be allowed to explore and connect with different areas and follow their passion. We should support them in their evolving aspirations and not only focus on high packages. " One of the biggest challenges, he said, was the extensive dependency of youngsters on gadgets and their disinterest in coming out of rooms and mixing with others. The director stressed the need to have transparent two-way communication with the parents through the SETU app.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
IIT dir visits hostel for a chat with freshers
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: IIT director Suman Chakraborty on Wednesday paid an informal visit to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall of Residence, where he had a chat with the new batch of students, along with their parents, reinforcing the ethos of a 'student-first culture' on the Kharagpur campus. "It was a casual visit to the first-year hostel to check everything was in place. It was also a good opportunity to connect with the parents and understand their concerns and aspirations. I told them the students were like our children and we had a responsibility towards them. We assured them of the students' well-being and said they, too, had a complementary responsibility. The parents must have a clear picture and be aware of the youngsters' needs and that they should connect with us in case of any difficulty," Chakraborty said later. It was around 11 pm that he reached LBS Hall, allotted to first-year BTech students, and spent around an hour there. "Chakraborty asked if the youngsters were facing any difficulty settling in. He asked about the rooms and the quality of food. The students gave him positive feedback on food. Chakraborty urged the guardians to attend the parents' session at the induction event on Friday," said an official. That day, IIT Kharagpur will launch an AI-driven mental wellness initiative, SETU, for enhanced mental health support for students. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Earlier around 9 pm, the director, along with 500-odd people on the campus, including students, staff members and teachers, held a candlelight march to condole the deaths of second-year student Chandradeep Pawar and fourth-year student Ritam Mondal. Teachers and students said it was the first time an IIT director participated in a candlelight march. "The march started from Nehru Hall, which was Pawar's hostel, passed by Rajendra Prasad Hall, where Mondal stayed, and ended at Gymkhana," said a student. Mondal was found hanging in his room at Rajendra Prasad Hall of Residence on Friday morning, marking the fourth suicide in seven months on the Kharagpur campus. Pawar died on Monday night after choking on a cough and cold tablet at Nehru Hall. An external experts' committee, set up to look into the suicides at the institute, suggested that parents be included in the induction programme after 85% students said they faced parental pressure on securing internships and placements. By asking the parents to attend the induction programme, institute officials aim at explaining to them the IIT system of education and the pitfalls of putting undue pressure on their wards .
