24 August 2025: The Annual IC3 Conference & Expo 2025, held at Jio Convention Centre, in Mumbai on August 20–21, brought together more than 1,500 educators, school leaders, counselors and university representatives from across 95 countries to address one of the most urgent challenges facing India’s youth: student mental health and well-being. The conference, centred on the theme “Counseling as a Culture”, marked the launch of the Student Suicides Aversion Report-Mental Health & Well-Being, Volume III: The Student Well-Being Pulse Report, an extensive survey based on responses from 8,542 students across India by the IC3 Institute.
The report reveals a crisis cutting across grades, gender, and geographies. While academic pressure remains the dominant stressor, students report persistent emotional distress, lack of access to professional support, and widespread uncertainty about their futures.
Key Findings from the 2025 Student Well-Being Pulse Report
Emotional distress among students is widespread. One in five rarely experiences calmness, motivation or excitement, and girls continue to be disproportionately affected, reporting nearly twice the rate of persistent sadness compared to boys. Forty percent of students do not know where to go in school for mental health support, while nearly half have never received structured career counseling, a key source of anxiety about their future. Three out of four Grade 12 students fall short of the recommended 7–8 hours of sleep on school nights, driven largely by academic overload and relentless overthinking. Yet, there are positive signs: more schools today acknowledge the importance of counseling, and awareness among students on where to access support has been steadily rising. The Supreme Court has also underscored the urgent need for robust school-based counseling systems, adding both momentum and legitimacy to this critical movement.
Commenting on the findings, Ganesh Kohli, Founder of the IC3 Movement, said, “This is no longer a silent problem. It is a visible and urgent crisis. While more schools are now offering counseling and students are increasingly aware of where to seek help, almost half of our students still remain unsure, and career anxiety continues to steal their sleep and peace of mind. Mental health cannot be treated as optional. Every school must make counseling and emotional support part of its core infrastructure, while expanding access, broadbasing programs, and equipping teachers and staff as trained gatekeepers. Our children deserve nothing less.”
Gendered and Hidden Struggles
The report underscores deep gender disparities. Girls are more likely to internalise stress and avoid professional help, while non-binary students report the lowest overall well-being. Friends are often the first point of contact for students in distress, yet most peers lack the training to provide effective support.
Career Anxiety and Academic Overload
Uncertainty about the future is among the top three stressors for students. Without clear and consistent career guidance, many feel adrift, compounding the academic pressure that defines much of adolescence. Sleep deprivation, especially among senior students, is at critical levels and directly linked to screen use before bedtime and chronic overthinking.
As the IC3 Movement enters its 10th year, the 2025 Annual IC3 Conference & Expo in Mumbai marked a defining moment in its journey to embed counseling into the fabric of education. Bringing together more than 1,500 educators, counselors, university representatives, and changemakers from 95 countries, the event highlighted both the progress made and the work that still lies ahead broadening access, training educators as gatekeepers, and creating systemic support structures across schools.
The conference featured over 35 expert-led sessions, pre-conference workshops, and the Inner Child Workshop, helping educators reflect on their own formative experiences and connect more deeply with students. Senior education leaders, including Dr. Indu Shahani (ATLAS SkillTech University), and Shri Sanjay Kumar (Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India), shared insights on embedding mental health and counseling into everyday school functioning, while stressing the shared responsibility of families, institutions, and communities.
As the host of this event, ATLAS SkillTech University will play a pivotal role in supporting the initiative. Sharing her thoughts, Dr. Indu Shahani, Founding President & Chancellor of ATLAS SkillTech University, India said “I am proud to support this important gathering. I feel deeply honoured to be part of a platform that is shaping the future of education and student well-being. What makes this conference meaningful is the way it positions counseling not as an option, but as a culture that must exist in every school. I look forward to joining conversations that advance this belief and help ensure that every young person receives the guidance they deserve during their formative years. For me, this is not only about education, but also about nurturing futures with care and purpose.”
Keynote reflections came from renowned voices such as Boman Irani, Devdutt Pattanaik, and Gauranga Das, while the Presidential Forum brought together Ratna Pathak Shah, Soha Ali Khan, Ronnie Screwvala, and other luminaries to discuss purpose, well-being, and the role of collaborative support for young people.
As IC3 moves into its next decade, these conversations underscore the Movement’s commitment: counseling must not only be accessible but integrated, proactive, and capable of shaping the holistic development of every student. To further this mission, IC3 has also introduced new formats such as IC3 On Demand, a customized model of engagement where events are designed in partnership with mission-aligned institutions to achieve shared goals with high impact; and the IC3 Regional Conferences, enhanced platforms that build on the Regional Forums to support educators and counselors across regions in addressing the evolving needs of students worldwide.