The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) has instituted mandatory Pass-no-Pass (PNP) health workshops for first-year students beginning in August 2025. The institute claims the measure intends to improve students' overall well-being as they join a highly competitive academic environment.
IIT Bombay Director Prof Shireesh B Kedare stated that the workshops are now part of the regular curriculum.
“Students have to attend all four workshops per semester to pass the course. We are getting a good response; it is approximately one workshop in three weeks and has no burden of exams,” he told India Today on Friday, November 21.
The courses cover a variety of topics, including life skills, healthy behaviours, substance use, sleep patterns, nutrition, relationships, and basic mental health.
According to the director, these challenges have become more pressing in recent years, as students confront increased academic pressure and campus stress.
The first semester focuses on basic well-being. The second semester focuses on personal development, resilience, purpose, social responsibility, and long-term life skills.
These topics are intended to help students manage issues both within and outside of the classroom.
According to the institute's most recent survey, students continue to endure academic pressure and transition challenges.
"We found that around 30-40 per cent of the students undergo stress due to academics and other factors, including leaving home at an early age, adjustment issues, relationship and family problems," said the institution's director.
To further encourage well-being, the institute is considering curriculum adjustments.
The change would shift learning away from traditional teaching and toward a strategy focusing on comprehension, capacity building, and minimising assessment stress.
