Mentoring in higher education is presented as a core part of student welfare, not a ceremonial add-on. A. Joseph Dorairaj argues that mentors can shape academic choices, emotional confidence, and responsible adulthood, which makes mentoring relevant to both institutional governance and social development.

Indian higher educational institutions already expect faculty members to counsel students and help them manage academic and non-academic concerns. The same institutional duty has too often become a paperwork-based ritual designed to satisfy accreditation requirements rather than a genuine support system for students.

What a good mentor is expected to do

Constraints in higher educational institutions