IIT Bombay has advertised 20 ad hoc counsellor positions for its Flourishing Hub, signalling an urgent expansion of mental-health support on a campus with around 14,000 students after the death by suicide of a second-year BTech student.
The positions include 16 student counsellors and four senior counsellors. According to the advertisement, the possible joining date is as early as October 15, indicating that the institute is seeking to bring the additional staff on board without delay.
The counsellors will provide psychological counselling to students through the Flourishing Hub. The institute has sought applicants with experience of working with adolescents and young adults, preferably in residential academic institutions, as well as experience in handling crisis cases.
The recruitment is part of a wider set of student-welfare measures being undertaken by IIT Bombay through its Students’ Wellness Centre. The institute has also announced the appointment of an associate dean responsible for overseeing student welfare.
The measures follow the death by suicide of Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student. Students have questioned the adequacy of mental-health support on the campus during protests following the death, putting the functioning and capacity of the existing support system under scrutiny.
The proposed hiring structure separates student counsellors from senior counsellors, although the advertisement does not specify the final number of counsellors who will be assigned to particular departments, hostels or student groups. It also does not state how the new positions will be integrated with the existing Students’ Wellness Centre or how crisis response will be organised across the residential campus.
The scale of the recruitment is significant for an institution that houses approximately 14,000 students. The appointments are described as ad hoc positions, meaning the immediate expansion is being planned as a short-term or urgent staffing measure rather than as a confirmed permanent restructuring of the institute’s welfare system.
The institute’s stated requirements indicate that the roles are intended to cover routine psychological counselling as well as situations requiring crisis intervention. Experience in residential academic settings is particularly relevant to a campus where students live, study and access support within the same institutional environment.
The advertisement comes as IIT Bombay announces multiple welfare interventions following the student’s death. The institute’s next steps include progressing the recruitment process and strengthening the operations of the Flourishing Hub and Students’ Wellness Centre, with the earliest possible joining date for the advertised counsellors set for October 15.
