UMMEED: Education Ministry’s Guidelines To Prevent Self-Harm By Students

New Delhi: At a time when there have been several instances of suicides among engineering and medical aspirants in the coaching hub of Kota this year, the Education Ministry on Tuesday released draft guidelines aimed at promoting sensitivity, empathy, and assistance in cases where students engage in self-harming behaviour. The draft guidelines are referred to as UMMEED – Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathize, Empower, and Develop. They come at a time when there have been several instances of suicides among engineering and medical aspirants in the coaching hub of Kota this year.

Measures outlined in the guidelines:

• Establishment of a School Wellness Team (SWT).
• Identification of students displaying warning signs or at risk of self-harm.
• Immediate response to situations involving students at risk, and providing them with the necessary support.
• Guided by the principle that “Every Child Matters,” the guidelines emphasise the importance of building strong partnerships among schools, parents, and the community to create societal support as a critical strategy for preventing suicide and reducing the stigma associated with suicidal behaviour.
• Discarding harmful notions, such as comparing oneself to peers, viewing failure as permanent, and measuring success solely based on academic performance.
• Practical measures like securing empty classrooms, improving lighting in dark corridors, and maintaining gardens and overgrown grassy areas.
• School activities directed towards creating awareness about mental well-being, leading towards suicide prevention.
• SWT should be periodically restructured based on the school’s available resources. This restructuring would enable all school stakeholders to participate in enhancing awareness and capacity-building.
• Schools to review the effectiveness of SWT and its functioning on an annual basis.