The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced new rules to improve mental health and career guidance for students. From now on, all CBSE-affiliated schools must appoint socio-emotional and career counsellors. This decision comes after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in July 2025 by advocate Sujeet Swami and psychology experts in the Rajasthan High Court. The petition highlighted increasing mental health issues and lack of proper career guidance for students. After hearings in September 2025, the CBSE amended its Affiliation By-Laws on January 19, 2026. The new Clause 2.4.12.1 requires one Counselling and Wellness Teacher or socio-emotional counsellor for every 500 students. Clause 2.4.12.2 makes career counsellors compulsory. Earlier, full-time psychological counsellors were mandatory only in schools with more than 300 students in Classes 9 to 12; smaller schools could hire part-time counsellors. Now, minimum qualifications are set. Counselling and Wellness Teachers must have a graduate or postgraduate degree in Psychology or Social Work with a focus on mental health. They must also complete a 50-hour CBSE capacity-building program. Their duties include counselling students and parents, social-emotional learning, crisis intervention, and more. The CBSE also allows smaller schools to join a Counselling Hub and Spoke School Model, where larger "Hub" schools assist nearby "Spoke" schools. For career counsellors, the student ratio remains 1:500 for classes 9 to 12. They must hold degrees in Humanities, Science, Social Sciences, Management, Education, or Technology. Sujeet Swami praised the move and hopes Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) will follow soon. Advocate Amit Dadhich welcomed the decision and noted ongoing efforts to improve mental health support for college and university students in Rajasthan.