Mentoring in higher education is presented as a substantive part of student development, not as a paperwork-driven formality. The Hindu column argues that colleges and universities should treat faculty mentoring as a continuing institutional responsibility because mentors can shape academic choices, career direction, and student resilience.

Indian higher education institutions already expect teachers to counsel students, but practice often remains weak because of limited training, limited time, and large class sizes. The result is a gap between institutional expectations and the quality of student support.