UGC to roll out mental health support for university students
Professor Dr Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), has said that a mental health protection service for university students will begin from November.
The service will be delivered in phases to 10,000 students across 22 universities, for which a dedicated module has already been finalised.
He made the remarks on Friday (17 October) while speaking as chief guest at a two-day workshop titled "Training Material and Manual Development Framework," organised jointly by UGC and Unesco at the Commission's auditorium to identify students' social and psychological needs.
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Presided over by Mosammat Jesmin Parvin, Director (current charge) of UGC's International Collaboration Division, the event was addressed as special guest by Professor Dr Masuma Habib, UGC Member.
Professor Anwar Hossain said a special module is being developed to safeguard the mental health of students at public and private universities. The module will set out the types of services students require, he noted, adding that mental health improvement should be embedded within universities' institutional structures. He suggested giving preference to candidates trained in mental health support when appointing new faculty members.
He also underscored the need to foster tolerance within higher education and to strengthen understanding between teachers and students. To improve student wellbeing, he recommended targeted training, awareness-raising initiatives, and the appointment of professional psychiatrists.
Professor Masuma Habib said UGC, with Unesco's support, has taken a timely initiative to improve students' mental health. She expected the initiative to build students' resilience, enhance teacher-student relations, and encourage empathy and positive behavioural change. She called for appointing psychiatrists at every university and establishing mental health clubs, and stressed the need to train university teachers in mental health protection. She also urged parents to play a more active role in supporting students' mental wellbeing.
UGC Director Jesmin Parvin said training will also be provided to university officers and employees to promote both mental and social health.
Unesco representative Raju Das said the module is based on emotional intelligence, social skills and life skills, designed to foster students' active participation and pro-social behaviour. He said Unesco expects the content to be specific, balanced, culturally grounded and developmentally appropriate, describing the initiative as a system-level reform through which social-emotional wellbeing will be integrated into education policies and institutional frameworks, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speakers included Syed Tanvir Rahman, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Dhaka, and Md Rafiujjaman, Assistant Professor in the Humanities Department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).
The workshop is being attended by student advisers, counsellors, mental health specialists, students from 22 universities, and UGC officials.
Earlier, under the UGC–Unesco social and mental health protection project, a training manual was developed to assess university students' social and psychological needs, building on work initiated in July–August 2024.
