In an attempt to curb stress and anxiety among students during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conducted a session on March 25, 2021.

The session named ‘Managing stress and anxiety of studying during COVID-19’ was headed by Dr Purnima Singh, Professor (Psychology), Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.

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Post the coronavirus outbreak, most of the students in India are attending classes online and this regular dependence on the digital medium has apparently elevated the stress level of several young people in the nation. The session conducted by AICTE aimed to address this growing concern.

Dr Amit Kumar Srivastava, Director, Student Development Cell, AICTE, started the programme with a welcome address.

AICTE chairman Professor Anil D Sahasrabudhe, during his talk, stated that managing stress and anxiety is very much essential to elevate the learning experience of every student in the nation.

“Post the coronavirus outbreak, students in India have been exposed to a different learning experience. Remote learning using online means does have its own advantages, but it poses some emotional challenges to students. Several students are finding it hard to adapt themselves to the new learning style and unexpected challenges. I hope the session led by an expert like Prof Purnima Singh could help to face mental challenges effectively,” said Sahasrabudhe.

During the opening remark, AICTE member secretary Prof Rajive Kumar said that sessions like these could help students to combat stress effectively in their lives.

“Thousands of people have joined this webinar, and it indicates the vitality of this session. I hope our students will get the benefit, and they will be able to come out successfully from these stresses. And moreover, the expert like Prof Purnima here. We cannot have a better expert like Prof Purnima who can address problems like this,” said Rajive Kumar.

The event was attended by more than 2000 participants through Webex and social media platforms of AICTE. During the session, a large number of queries from the students across India were addressed by the resource person.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Sanju Chaudhary, Assistant Director, Student Development Cell, AICTE New Delhi.