What is Project SAATHI in Chandigarh schools?

Project SAATHI is a pilot, six-month intervention in Chandigarh government schools, offering daily sessions, yoga, meditation, and teacher training to identify early signs of student mental distress.

Why are Chandigarh school counsellors concerned about their employment?

Counsellors are concerned because they are hired through outsourcing agencies, paid for only 10 months a year, and often face delays in salary payments, which contradicts CBSE's full-time counsellor mandate.

How do CBSE's affiliation norms affect Chandigarh school counsellors?

CBSE's Jan 2026 revised norms require schools to appoint full-time counsellors, highlighting the inconsistency with the current practice in Chandigarh where counsellors are outsourced and not paid year-round.

Home / Education / Counsellors Underpaid Amidst School Mental Health Push

Counsellors Underpaid Amidst School Mental Health Push

13 Apr

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Summary

School counsellors receive no wages during school breaks.
Outsourced counsellors face delays in monthly salary payments.
New initiatives like Project SAATHI highlight employment issues.

Counsellors Underpaid Amidst School Mental Health Push

Chandigarh's administration is rolling out "Project SAATHI," a pilot intervention to address student mental health, coinciding with CBSE's Jan 2026 revision mandating full-time school counsellors. This initiative brings renewed scrutiny to the employment conditions of 90 counsellors in government schools.

Currently, these counsellors are engaged via outsourcing agencies and are paid for only 10 months annually, receiving no wages during breaks. This arrangement conflicts with CBSE's full-time requirement and has led to concerns from the Chandigarh Teachers Association.