Over 20 Meghalaya schools adopt AIIMS-Delhi's Project MATE to tackle student stress and anxiety

In a pioneering step toward promoting mental well-being among adolescents, more than 20 schools across Meghalaya have introduced Project MATE (Mind Activation Through Education)—a programme developed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, aimed at equipping students with tools to manage stress and anxiety.

The initiative, led by Dr. Nand Kumar, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS-Delhi, is being rolled out under the Meghalaya Programme for Adolescent Wellbeing, with CSR support from Oil India Limited. Designed for students in Classes VI to VIII, the programme focuses on holistic biopsychosocial development, helping children build resilience against growing mental health challenges.

“Children today are under increasing stress due to various factors—peer pressure, academic competition, social media influence, online gaming, and traumatic experiences,” Dr. Kumar said. “Project MATE was developed in 2020 to help students navigate these stressors through wellness and positive mental health strategies.”

A core feature of the programme is the MATE-5 concept, which encourages children to build a close-knit support circle of five trusted friends. This idea stems from a growing concern about the emotional isolation faced by children in nuclear family settings, where they often lack the social support traditionally available in joint families.

“In the past, children had multiple avenues to express themselves—be it parents, siblings, or neighbors. That emotional outlet is missing now,” Dr. Kumar explained. “MATE-5 aims to recreate those emotional bonds through peer support.”

Project MATE is delivered through experiential workshops involving not just students but also parents and teachers, fostering a comprehensive support ecosystem.

The programme has also sparked interest from several educational institutions across India, and to further boost the initiative, MATE Excellence Awards were recently presented at AIIMS-Delhi to recognize young changemakers and advocates of the MATE-5 concept. The awards celebrate social connection, empathy, and mental well-being.