CBSE and AIIMS Delhi launch Project MATE to strengthen student wellness

CBSE and AIIMS join hands for student well-being

On 26th August 2025, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, inaugurated the offline training programme under Project MATE (Mind Activation Through Education).

This initiative marks a significant step toward addressing adolescent wellness by equipping school counselors and wellness teachers with the tools needed to build resilience, foster peer connectivity, and guide students through emotional challenges in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world.

What is Project MATE?

Developed by experts at AIIMS, Project MATE is a structured adolescent wellness programme designed around the concept of “MATE-5.” The five-day training, running from 26th to 30th August 2025, includes 50 school counselors from CBSE-affiliated schools in Delhi-NCR.

Key focus areas include:

• Building emotional resilience and coping strategies

• Promoting peer support and connectedness

• Early school-based counseling mechanisms

• Integrating nutrition, health, family roles, and social well-being into student care

Leaders highlight the importance of holistic development

The inaugural event was attended by prominent dignitaries:

• Prof. Dr. M. Srinivas, Director, AIIMS, emphasized the programme’s transformative role in linking education and health to foster resilience and well-being.

• Shri Rahul Singh, IAS, Chairperson, CBSE, highlighted the rising issues of loneliness and stress among students and positioned Project MATE as a framework to address these challenges holistically.

• Shri Himanshu Gupta, IAS, Secretary, CBSE, described the programme as a pilot initiative whose outcomes would guide national-scale expansion.

• Prof. Dr. K.K. Verma, Dean Academics, AIIMS, stressed the need to scale this initiative nationwide.

• Prof. Dr. Nand Kumar, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, underlined the importance of normalizing mental health as part of general health.

Training and expected outcomes

Over five days, the program will train counselors through structured workshops covering:

• Biopsychosocial models of health

• Anxiety-coping and conflict resolution techniques

• Parental sensitization strategies

• Impact assessment tools

• Peer-support and digital well-being mechanisms

By the end of the training, CBSE aims to empower counselors to destigmatize mental health and build a stronger ecosystem of support for adolescents within schools.

A step toward future-ready education

Project MATE reflects CBSE’s commitment to holistic child development and future-ready education. By prioritizing adolescent wellness, the programme is expected to help students rise above academic and emotional challenges, enabling them to thrive both in school and in life