CBSE, AIIMS Delhi introduce project 'MATE' for school counsellors to enhance student well-being

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi have introduced a five-day offline training programme under the Project MATE (Mind Activation Through Education). The training programme, which starts today, on August 26 at the AIIMS Delhi and will continue until August 30.

As per CBSE, Project MATE has been conceptualized by AIIMS Delhi as an adolescent well-being programme intended to improve resilience, develop coping skills, and reinforce peer connection via the "MATE-5" framework. 

The program first engages around 50 counselors and well-being teachers of CBSE-affiliated institutions of the Delhi-NCR area.

The five-day training is being conducted by professionals from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and communication. Sessions include a range of topics from the biopsychosocial model of health, nutrition, family and social roles, anxiety coping, counseling styles, and electronic well-being. The trainees will also be trained in parental sensitisation, impact assessment tools, and creating peer support structures.

In the first session, both CBSE officials and AIIMS officials stressed the importance of incorporating education and health for student welfare. As per an official report, the programme aims to provide school counselors with structured frameworks to tackle problems like stress, loneliness, and emotional alienation among students.

This partnership will enable CBSE and AIIMS to equip school counselors with evidence-based tools that enhance emotional resilience, conflict resolution, and social connectedness among students.

CBSE stated that the results of this pilot training would be followed up regularly and, depending on the outcome, the programme could then be scaled up for national implementation. The officials said that the initiative will deepen the school counseling ecosystem, advance early interventions in adolescents' mental health, and standardize mental health as integral to overall well-being.