Lok Sabha Question No. 3709 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-16
Subject: Mental Stress among School Students
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan, Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3709 ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026

## Mental Stress among School Students

3709. Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P: Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that many students studying in 5th standard and above are prone to mental stress due to heavy work load in schools and various issues related to study and also due to lack of time to play both in schools and at homes after implementation of National Education Policy (NEP);
- (b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has any proposal to implement any scheme to lessen heavy work load of students in schools so as to give them sufficient time to play games in schools and get relief from mental stress;

- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (e) The Government of India announced the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) on 29.07.2020 as the first education policy of the 21st century that aims to address the many growing developmental imperatives of our country. The NEP 2020 places strong emphasis on the holistic development and well-being of students and underscores the need to reduce stress, promote joyful learning, promote mental well-being and increase community engagement for optimal learning outcomes. The policy recommends reduction of curriculum content to its core essentials to reduce academic burden and promote conceptual and experiential learning among students.  It  also  promotes  art  integrated  and  sports-integrated  learning  and  encourages  the inclusion  of  physical  education  and  sports  as  part  of  the  curriculum  to  support  students' physical and mental well-being.

In  line  with  the  vision  of  NEP  2020,  NCERT  has  developed  the  National  Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE). Both the NCFs factor in mental well-being needs of students in different aspects such as syllabi development, development of content in learning and teaching material, pedagogical practices etc. Moreover, the frameworks integrate sports and physical education across all stages of schooling through sports-based pedagogy.

Besides  this,  the  centrally  sponsored  scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha  includes  a  dedicated component on Sports and Physical Education to promote daily sports activities and fitness programmes in government schools. One of the major objectives of this component is to ensure the holistic development of students by making them physically, mentally, psychologically, socially  and  emotionally  fit.  Moreover,  assistance  is  also  provided  to  States  and  UTs  for organising the 10 bagless days  initiative  from class  6  to  8,  the  objective  being  to  help  the children  experience  joyful  learning  with  real-life  exposure  through  activities  such  as educational tours, experiments, interviews with community/parents, etc.

Additionally,  large-scale  participation  activities  organised  by  the  Government  of  India  in collaboration with States/UTs such as the International Day of Yoga, National Yoga Olympiad, Fit  India  Movement,  sports  events  under  Khelo  India  and  National  Sports  Day  further encourage active lifestyles in schools. Additionally, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education has made sports compulsory for all Classes through the Health and Physical Education programme, ensuring structured physical activity and participation in sports as part of the school curriculum.

The  PARAKH  Rashtriya  Sarvekshan,  2024  (formerly  National  Achievement  Survey) conducted  by  the  National  Assessment  Centre-  PARAKH,  NCERT,  in  December,  2024 provides important insights derived from more than 21 lakh students (in class 3, 6 and 9) across 74,000 schools in India on contextual variables that affect learning outcomes. Key findings of the survey indicate that 97% of schools carry out sports activities whereas 85% employ sports integrated learning approaches. Moreover, 76% of students report that their schools provide adequate sporting facilities.

## ********