According to IC3 Institute's Student Well-being Pulse Report 2026, based on responses from 8,515 students across Grades 8 to 12, 64 per cent of students prefer to deal with stress themselves. Meanwhile, 49 per cent turn to friends and 44 per cent to family. Only 6 per cent approach a school counsellor and 2 per cent a therapist, even though 52 per cent believe counselling or therapy can b e helpful. On World Health Day 2026, Neha Bahl, Executive Director of IC3 Institute, discusses what young people are struggling with, why they may hesitate to seek help, and how families and educational institutions can respond.

In a recent interview with The Times of India, IC3 Executive Director Ritika Singh unpacks the growing trend of "inward mobility" reshaping international education. From the rise of highly ranked domestic liberal arts institutions to foreign universities establishing Indian campuses and Indian universities expanding abroad. She mentions how these structural shifts are transforming higher education opportunities for students. Read the full conversation to explore the future of India's global academic footprint.

In an interview with The PIE on the sidelines of the 10th Annual IC3 Conference & Expo in Mumbai, IC3 Movement founder Ganesh Kohli discussed why student wellbeing is becoming an increasingly important part of counseling. He also highlighted how helping students address challenges and build resilience can better prepare them for their education and career journeys.

A recent report by the IC3 Institute reveals a sharp decline in student wellbeing, happiness, and confidence from grade 8 to grade 12. This deterioration in mental health peaks during the senior years, driven by the intense pressures of board exams and college admissions. Despite struggling with rising anxiety, a vast majority of students prefer to handle stress alone or with friends rather than seeking help from school counselors. Career uncertainty serves as another major stressor, exacerbated by a widespread lack of structured career guidance in schools. Consequently, academic burdens and overthinking have led to severe sleep deprivation, with most students sleeping six hours or less a night. The findings also highlight a troubling gender disparity, showing that female students experience significantly higher anxiety and lower confidence than boys.