A Growing Movement for Wellbeing in India: Reflections from Bihar

The WorldBeing India Foundation, in partnership with the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC) and the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT), recently hosted a special event in Patna to spotlight the importance of mental health and wellbeing within Bihar’s education ecosystem.

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The gathering brought together senior officials from BEPC and SCERT, principals from all 66 Teacher Training Colleges, mental health professionals, educators, media personnel, and representatives from civil society organizations. Together, they reflected on how systems of education can strengthen mental and emotional health for both students and teachers.

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This conversation is part of a broader movement taking shape across India, where governments and partners are working to ensure that wellbeing is built into the foundation of how education functions.

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A Shared Commitment to Wellbeing

This event marked an important step in Bihar’s journey toward embedding wellbeing into the fabric of education. Through keynote addresses, open dialogue, and lived experiences, participants explored how schools can become spaces that nurture learning through care, safety, and inclusion.

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Nandita Bhatla, Vice President and Country Director, shared insights from her recent participation in convenings around the UN General Assembly, emphasizing: “No health, without mental health, anymore.”

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Her message underscored the importance of wellbeing, not as an isolated concern but as the foundation upon which learning and development are built.

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Voices from the Field

In her keynote, Smt. Sahila, IAS, Director of Primary Education, Government of Bihar, highlighted the importance of initiatives that focus on addressing the mental health of women and adolescents, particularly in the earliest stages of life. Dr. Rashmi Prabha, Joint Director of SCERT, added that education itself must evolve and shift from competition to collaboration and from performance to holistic growth. She also noted that the initiative to create pre-service training modules for teachers reflects the state’s perspective and commitment to making mental wellbeing foundational to education.

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These perspectives were further explored in a panel discussion, 'Beyond Books: Why is Mental Health Essential for Students?', featuring experts from the medical and academic fields. Together, they examined how mental health shapes learning outcomes, inclusion, and the overall health of school communities by reinforcing that the wellbeing of educators and students are inseparable.

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Building on Momentum

This event reflects a growing movement for wellbeing in India. Over the past year, WorldBeing has deepened its partnerships across the country — releasing its 2024–25 Impact Report and launching InLight India, a systems change initiative designed to embed wellbeing across national education policy, teacher development, and school systems.

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InLight India builds on the momentum taking shape through collaborations like the one in Bihar, where government leadership and educational practice align around a shared goal: to make wellbeing a lasting part of education.

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A Path Forward

For WorldBeing, the collaboration with BEPC and SCERT represents part of a growing national effort to strengthen infrastructure for wellbeing across India’s education system. The discussions in Patna reaffirmed that lasting change is further enabled by alignment between government, educators, and communities.

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As this movement continues to expand, our focus remains steady: supporting partners in India and beyond to make wellbeing an everyday part of how young people live, learn, and thrive. We’re energized by what lies ahead.

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