IIT Bombay invites applications for 30 ad hoc counsellor posts following student suicide crisis
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay’s Student Wellness Centre (SWC) has invited applications for 30 ad hoc counsellor positions, including 26 student counsellors and four senior counsellors. Selected candidates could join as early as October 15.
The recruitment comes as the institute looks to strengthen its mental health support system following the death of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode.
Sahil allegedly died by suicide on September 18, hours after he was found using his phone during a mid-semester examination. His death triggered large-scale student protests on the IIT-B campus.
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During the protests, students raised concerns over the adequacy of the institute’s mental health support system and pointed to a series of student deaths over the past year. They submitted a list of demands to Director Professor Shireesh Kedare, including an expansion of mental health support on campus.
Students said the SWC, with its limited number of counsellors, was inadequately equipped to cater to nearly 14,000 students across the institute’s various courses and departments.
Since the protests, the administration has announced several reforms focused on student welfare. Last week, the institute announced the appointment of an additional associate dean under the Dean of Student Affairs, who will primarily oversee student welfare.
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Students were also informed of plans to appoint ‘student wellness secretaries’ in hostels as part of a broader overhaul of the institute’s student wellness support system.
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The SWC is one of IIT-Bombay’s mental health support systems. It provides counselling and focuses on the emotional, psychological and mental well-being of undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students.
According to the latest recruitment advertisement, applicants for the four senior counsellor positions must have at least 10 years of relevant experience after obtaining their qualifying degree. Applicants for student counsellor positions must have at least two years of relevant experience.
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Candidates must hold an MA or MSc in Psychology, specialising in clinical, counselling or social psychology, with at least 55 per cent marks or an equivalent grade.
The last date to apply is October 17, while interviews are scheduled to be held between October 12 and 18.
The institute has said it will consider linguistic and gender diversity while selecting the 30 counsellors to ensure that students from different social and linguistic backgrounds can access support.
Experience working with adolescents and young adults, residential academic institutions and crisis cases is desirable. Proficiency in Indian languages in addition to English and Hindi is also preferred.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra. Expertise Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting. Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive: Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses). Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers. Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis). Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students. Credentials & Trustworthiness Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the "KG to PG" education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized. Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families. She tweets @Pallavi_Smart ... Read More
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