CBSE, NCERT & UNESCO to increase well-being programmes in Indian schools

UNESCO, in partnership with CBSE and NCERT, organized the eleventh iteration of the capacity-building workshop under the School Health and Wellness Programme (SHWP) in New Delhi this week to move forward with the initiative to increase a network of master trainers responsible for executing the SHWP in 30,000 CBSE-aligned schools in an effort to reach nearly 15 million adolescent students.

In June and July 2025, over 290 school leaders, principals, and educators from 22 states and 5 union territories such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and others attended the trainings.

The release stated that Anandrao V Patil, IAS, Additional Secretary, DoSEL, Ministry of Education, stressed mental health, gender equality and inclusive education to fulfill the holistic vision of NEP 2020. "You are changemakers. Never forget that," he asserted, reiterating the role of education in building responsible and compassionate citizens.

As per the release, NCERT Director Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani appreciated the joint efforts of CBSE, UNESCO, and NCERT in conducting the workshop. While referring to the need to understand adolescents more intensely, Prof Dinesh Prasad Saklani highlighted that teachers might react differently when issues underlying in a student's family do not come to their notice. He added that this is why the training is so important, as it enables educators to identify obstacles and move towards realisable targets.

"Health and education are not competing objectives; they are linked pillars of equity, dignity, and opportunity. Each wellness session, each teacher trained, each child heard, it's a step toward systems that place learners at the centre," said Tim Curtis, Director of UNESCO South Asia Regional Office.

With NCERT's guidance and UNESCO's assistance, a 24-hour curriculum, training modules, and facilitator guides have been created to support implementation of the School Health and Wellness Programme (SHWP). To complement these materials, the two organizations have also produced animated videos and a comic book focused on the program's 11 essential themes—like emotional well-being, gender equality, reproductive health, mental wellness, and proper internet use. All content is translated into English, Hindi, and nine regional Indian languages.

Unveiled in February 2020 under the Government of India's Ayushman Bharat programme, SHWP encourages a multi-faceted, preventive, and proactive student health promotion through education. NCERT has organized eleven five-day workshops since August 2022, training 970 Master Trainers who now spearhead programme implementation in schools and assist in training others through CBSE's Centres of Excellence.

So far, over 40,000 teachers have been trained through 754 capacity-building programmes, representing an important step toward mainstreaming wellness education nationwide.