Why emotional health must anchor CBSE's Counselling Model

Highlighting principals’ role in safeguarding students’ and teachers’ emotional wellbeing, Rashmi Vij, Principal of Police DAV Public School, speaks to Jalandhar Tribune about implementing the CBSE Counselling Hub and Spoke School Model (2025–26).

A school is more than walls and timetables—it’s a living ecosystem of minds and hearts. When everyone’s well-being flourishes, learning evolves from mere knowledge into true growth. With nearly four decades in education, grounded in psychology and its school applications, I view mental well-being not as an afterthought, but as the bedrock of meaningful learning. This lens helps educators spot emotional distress early — often before it shows as behavioural or academic slips — reinforcing schools as havens of safety, empathy and trust.

‘Emotion is the soil in which cognition grows.’ At heart, a school binds principals, teachers and students in shared well-being. I believe a principal’s empathetic leadership fosters safety and purpose, while teachers’ mental health determines how well they build resilience and self-esteem. When one group falters, the whole ecosystem suffers, making holistic well-being essential, not optional.

Today’s students carry more than books—they shoulder expectations, comparisons, anxiety, and success pressures. These rarely shout; they creep in as disengagement or withdrawal, sometimes leading to dropouts. In fragile moments, silence can devastate. This reality strengthens my view that academic pursuits must never eclipse emotional health. Schools must watch for early distress signs and respond with care. We need a systemic shift, embedding mental well-being as education’s core pillar—not an add-on. Counselling, mindfulness, meditation, sports, and creative outlets give students space to pause, express, and restore balance.

Teachers form every school’s emotional core. Their presence, patience, and belief don’t just deliver lessons—they shape lives. Research and experience confirm that teacher stress subtly taints classroom vibes, while their wellbeing infuses warmth, energy, and connection. ‘We teach who we are.’ When supported and valued, teachers rediscover presence, purpose and joy.

Principals’ mental wellbeing matters equally, as they balance vision and reality. Loneliness at the top is a quiet, unspoken truth in leadership—one I’ve lived. Schools buzz with interaction, yet principals often bear heavy emotional loads with little support. This isn’t abstract; it unfolds silently behind office doors.

These realities demand structured, school-based help—met brilliantly by CBSE’s Counselling Hub and Spoke School Model (2025–26). Hub Schools act as central counselling centres with experts, while Spoke Schools, especially in remote or under-resourced areas, partner closely for guidance, training, and on-site support. Through teacher programmes, student workshops, and regular sessions, it moves from reactive fixes to proactive care, nurturing the whole community’s emotional health.

As learning’s custodians, let’s recall a school’s true legacy lies not in grades, but in lives shaped. By prioritising mental wellbeing, we create spaces ‘where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’—true havens where students thrive with courage and curiosity.