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 opened applications for 30 ad hoc counsellor positions, aimed at bolstering mental health support on campus following a student suicide crisis. The institute seeks to hire 26 student counsellors and four senior counsellors to augment its existing mental health resources.

The recruitment is a direct response to the death of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode, who was found using his phone during a mid-semester examination on September 18, ultimately succumbing to suicide. This tragedy prompted widespread student protests at the IIT-B campus, where concerns were voiced regarding the institute's adequacy of mental health support, particularly in light of several student deaths over the past year.

Students presented a list of demands to Director Professor Shireesh Kedare, emphasizing the need to expand mental health services on campus, as the SWC's current counsel-to-student ratio is insufficient to cater to the institute’s 14,000 students spread across various courses and departments. In the wake of these protests, the administration has implemented several reforms.

These include appointing an additional associate dean under the Dean of Student Affairs to focus on student welfare and the creation of 'student wellness secretaries' within hostels. The SWC, responsible for providing counselling and addressing the emotional, psychological, and mental well-being of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students, is a crucial component of IIT-Bombay’s mental health support infrastructure.

Applicants for senior counsellor positions must possess at least 10 years of relevant experience post their qualifying degree, while student counsellor candidates should have a minimum of two years of experience. Candidates must hold an MA or MSc in Psychology, specializing in clinical, counselling, or social psychology, with a minimum of 55% marks.

The last date for applications is October 17, with interviews scheduled between October 12 and 18. The institute has indicated a commitment to considering linguistic and gender diversity during the selection process to ensure that counselling support is accessible to students from diverse social and linguistic backgrounds. Desired experience includes working with adolescents and young adults, residential academic institutions, and crisis cases. Proficiency in Indian languages along with English and Hindi is highly preferred.