Beyond Physical Inclusion: Mental Health Support Systems in Inclusive Schools in India — A Systematic Literature Review of Challenges, Policy Gaps, and Emerging Practices

Abstract

An inclusive educational model has become one of the core principles of modern-day education that aims at ensuring equality and inclusivity of learning opportunities for students with different types of disabilities and diverse backgrounds. However, true inclusion involves not only placing such students into ordinary schools but also taking into account their psychological, social, and emotional well-being. Issues that may impede the process of learning and integration of children with special needs include mental health problems such as anxiety, behaviour disorders, emotional disturbance, and social exclusion. While in India, policies such as the National Education Policy (2020) and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) have reinforced the commitment to the idea of inclusion, there are few school-based mental health supports that can help students cope with their learning challenges more effectively. This systematic review seeks to provide an insight into the current state of mental health support systems in inclusive schools in India by assessing implementation problems, exploring best practices, evaluating policies for mental well-being of students, and creating a theoretical framework for strengthening school mental health programs. The review was conducted on the basis of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), and it included analysis of pertinent studies selected via Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PubMed and Google Scholar databases by means of key words associated with inclusive education, mental health, counseling, student wellbeing, disability and India. Five major themes have been identified based on the results of analysis: insufficient availability of trained professionals in mental health, teacher unpreparedness, stigma associated with mental health, the gap between policy and practice and some positive evidences that can serve as an argument for whole-school approaches, social-emotional learning, counseling, peer support and multi-stakeholder cooperation. It is concluded that mental health services need to be considered as an integral part of inclusive education.