Manodarpan Initiative, Check Aims , Benefits

Table of Contents

Manodarpan initiative is one of India’s renowned initiatives undertaken by the Government of India under the leadership of PM Narinder Modi. The outbreak of the COVID pandemic is the trigger incidence that made the government to come up with this initiative. The prolonged lockdown due to the pandemic, including the closure of educational institutions, postponement/cancellation of exams and adapting towards online teaching-learning etc. are some of the concerns of students, teachers and parents. Below we will discuss this initiative in detail

What is the Manodarpan initiative?

Manodarpan is an initiative by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Government of India (GOI) to provide psychosocial support for the mental health and well-being of pupils during the outbreak of COVID-19 and beyond. A webpage has been created on the website of the MoE.

This provides a wide range of advisory guidelines and other supportive material not only for school and university level students but for teachers and parents concerned to involve them in the moment of psychological happiness and well-being

Manodarpan Initiative Aim

Manodarpan Initiative is meant to provide tele-counselling to students across schools, colleges and universities and their parents and teachers to address their mental health and psychosocial issues. This provides countrywide outreach to students of all age groups.

Hence, it motivates children by promoting resilience to learn about new skills and positive stories being at home. It provides a guidance platform for the students and other stakeholders regarding how they spend or manage their time.

Manodarpan Initiative Overview

Manodarpan as an initiative has made a wide impact on the students, especially in the Covid times. Major highlights of the initiative are given in the table below.

Overview of the Manodarpan initiative
Ministry concerned	The Ministry of Education (MOE)
Initiative concerned	Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan
Launched on	21st July 2020
Launched by	Former HRD Minister Sh. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
Relater stakeholders	School, college and university going students as well as their teachers, mentor and parents.
National Toll-free Helpline)	8448440632
Official website	http://manodarpan.mhrd.gov.in/index.html

What are the Reasons for starting the Manodarpan initiative?

The challenging time of the pandemic brought situations that made the beginning of the initiative of Manodarpan. This initiative intends to bridge the gap between home and school by building an understanding of the new “normal”, and facilitates peer support, being positive, encouraging online learning, and life skills to become a resilient, caring, responsible independent learner, etc. during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. These are

Sense of isolation:
No social / playtime
Family income/unemployment fears,
Death in the family,
Behavioural issues in the family
Changes in teaching and learning lead to a stressful time for all.

Purpose of the Manodarpan Scheme

Manodarpan initiative is not an individualistic initiative/. Rather it is a whole system that serves different purposes via different components that are part of it. The following components and the purpose are included in the ‘Manodarpan’ initiative:

Sl. No.	Components	Target group	Purpose
	Advisory Guidelines	For students, teachers and faculty of School systems and Universities along with families.	To help identify areas of concern in COVID-19 times and give quick tips for dealing with them.
	Web page http://manodarpan.mhrd.gov.in	Students in school and higher education, families, and teaching community	This will carry advisory, practical tips, posters, videos, do’s and don’ts, FAQs and an online query system, for psychosocial support
	National Toll-free Helpline number 8448440632	For a countrywide outreach to students from schools, universities and colleges.	The helpline aims to provide tele counselling support to students who require assistance with their mental health and psychosocial issues. It will be staffed by a group of seasoned counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. the helpline’s services will extend beyond the COVID-19 situation, ensuring ongoing support for students in need. The national helpline boasts a team of 500 experienced counsellors who will be responsible for its implementation. In the initial phase, 100 counsellors have been assigned to cater specifically to students’ needs. This initiative seeks to address the mental well-being of students comprehensively and offer a reliable platform for seeking help and guidance.
	Handbook on 21st-century skills for school students	For school students	For COVID-19 times, a different skill–set is required that would enable an individual to cope-up and succeed in facing the challenges in real life, leading to his holistic progress. These skills are addressed as 21st Century Skills/ Learning Skills/ Transversal Competencies etc. in the Handbook.
5.	National-level database and directory of counsellors	At the School and University level	The purpose is to enlist the counsellors whose services can be offered voluntarily for Tele Counselling Services on the National Helpline. In the forthcoming months, a complete national resource database of counsellors and counselling services, serving the school and university system across the country shall be compiled. This database will help in the effective planning and implementation of psychosocial support for students, families and teachers across the country during the COVID-19 and the times beyond.
6.	Interactive Online Chat Platform ‘	Being made available for students, teachers, and families during COVID-19 and beyond.	For contact, counselling and guidance by psychologists and other mental health professionals which will be Besides the above, an interactive app will be developed based on a chatbot to deal with various queries on the mental health concerns of students.
7.	Webinars, audio-visual resources including videos, posters, flyers, comics, and short films; with a focus on convergence of resources from other Ministries/ Departments, such as resources on Fit India, Art and culture, etc.	For all stakeholders in the education system,	Mental well-being is also a sum total of physical and creative well-being. Resources will be converged from various sources and uploaded as additional resource materials on the Webpage. Crowdsourcing from students all over the country will also be encouraged as peer support. Some aspects are already uploaded on Webpage. This is a Continuing exercise.

Benefits of the Manodarpan Initiative

Since, Mental health has a reciprocal relationship with the well-being and productivity of a society and its members. It is essential for the well-being and functioning of individuals. Manodarpan initiative has an important role to play in the difficult times when children and adolescents may be more vulnerable and may experience heightened levels of stress, anxiety and fear, along with a range of emotional and behavioural issues. It is important because of following reasons

It helps students in coping with the stress and anxiety by providing a tele counselling facility.
It has included different workshops and activities that assist students to manage the psychological stressors during the Covid19 and beyond
Promotes positive mental health among individuals, families, communities, and nations
It aims to help students to live their lives happily, effectively and productively and become resilient over time with the help of life skills even in the face of challenges and roadblocks.
Resolving mental conflicts with oneself by proper guidance and support
Audio, video, advisories and tips are helping different stakeholders to have a better time with their family members.

Conclusion

Hence, the ‘MANODARPAN’ initiative covers a vast range of activities to provide psychosocial Assistance to students, teachers and families for mental health and emotional well-being during the COVID outbreak and beyond. The ‘Manodarpan’ initiative is a part of ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT ABHIYAN, to strengthen human capital and increase productivity with efficient reforms in the Education sector.