Student Suicides: SC Steps In As Govts Remain Lax

Update: 2025-03-27 06:50 IST
Student Suicides: SC Steps In As Govts Remain Lax
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It is very distressing that so many bright lives are nipped in the bud annually on the portals of higher learning institutes in the country. It is a colossal loss to the nation, besides their parents, near and dear. They reach there by dint of merit, beating odds and disappointments and unwavering focus and hard work. Such scholastic minds taking the extreme act is not a new phenomenon, it has been happening for years; only the severity of it jolts the concerned as well as the conscientious people. Yet, sadly, and dismayingly, governments have failed even to take note of the situation, and put in place effective redressal mechanisms to reach out to those in need.

Statistics reveal a grim reality. A UNICEF report highlights that individuals aged 15 to 24 in India are particularly susceptible to mental stress. According to a report released by the National Crime Records Bureau in 2022, 13,044 students took their own lives that year. An organization called IC3, which provides training and guidance to high school students globally, estimates that the number of students committing suicide is increasing by four percent annually. While the general suicide rate in India stands at two per cent, it rises to four percent among students. Particularly alarming is the higher incidence of suicides in vocational training institutions, with Kota coaching centers in Rajasthan serving as a notable example.

While it causes anger and anguish that governments are not waking up to the tragedies and pulling up the institutions concerned for remedial or preventive measures, the Supreme Court took a note of the shockingly recurring instances of student suicides in higher educational institutions, including private educational institutions, which “serve as a grim reminder of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework in addressing mental health concerns of students on campuses and to prevent the students from taking the extreme step of committing suicides.”

The apex court’s directive on March 24 to form a National Task Force (NTF) to address the mental health concerns of students and prevent such incidents marks a significant and hopeful development. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed Delhi Police to register an FIR on the complaints of the family members of two students who died by suicide while studying at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, in 2023.

Why could not the governments at central and state level act earnestly on so urgent an issue? It defies reason why a lack of concern plagues these bodies. Politicos, officials or institutions themselves feel neither compelled, nor impelled, to prevent the recurrence of tragedies on their campuses. The NTF has been directed to address mental health issues among students and preventing suicides increasingly, mental health challenges such as exam anxiety, stress, and depression are pushing students toward suicidal tendencies.

All educational bodies should heed the clarion call of the Supreme Court to take proactive measures for the safety and well-being of students. Although the highest court does not need to state the obvious, it is hard to believe that educational administrators are unaware of these issues. However, many institutions prioritize academic performance and rankings above the physical and mental health of their students, leading to a concerning lack of attention to their well-being. Suicides are driven by various factors, including academic pressure, mental health issues, and societal expectations. There is a growing need for robust support systems to listen to them and help them not to be overwhelmed by their worries and situations. They shall be embedded in education policies. Governments need to mandate them and also make the students aware of its suicide prevention helplines.

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