The surge in student suicides in India has reached an alarming level, with counsellors describing it as an epidemic. Between 2019 and 2021, 35,000 young lives were tragically lost to suicide, as revealed in Parliament. The numbers paint a grim picture, escalating from 10,335 in 2019 to 12,526 in 2020, reaching 13,089 in 2021.
The 2022 NCRB report recorded a total of 13,044 student suicides and stated that over the last decade (2013-22), a total of 103,961 student suicides were recorded. This was a 64% increase compared to the prior decade (2003-12).
A report, Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India, by the IC3, found that student suicides comprised 7.6% of the total suicides in 2022, a notable increase from the previous eight years when they accounted for 5.6% of the total figure. IC3 is a volunteer-based organisation that “provides support to high schools worldwide through guidance and training resources for high school administrators, teachers and counsellors. The IC3 Institute was established in 2018 and is an integral part of the IC3 (International Career & College Counseling) Movement,” says their website.
Maximum student suicides in Maharashtra
Maharashtra reported the highest number of student suicides at 1,764, followed by Tamil Nadu with 1,416 suicides, Madhya Pradesh with 1,340, Uttar Pradesh with 1,060, and Jharkhand with 824. These five states together account for 49% of the total student suicide cases in the country, says the same IC3 report.
Student suicides have been consistently on the rise in Maharashtra. These included 1,487 student suicides in 2019, 1,648 in 2020 and 1,834 in the year 2021, as per the NCRB data submitted in Parliament in December 2023.
These figures are alarming, considering “the actual number of student suicides is likely underreported” due to “several factors, including the social stigma surrounding suicide..” says the IC3 report.
From the gender perspective, while the figures of male student suicides have been on the decline, female student suicides have been on the rise as per the year-on-year ratio. In 2022, male students constituted 53% of the total student suicides. Between 2021 and 2022, male student suicides decreased by 6% while female student suicides increased by 7%.
It is important to understand the extent of mental health challenges among the youth. In its report on The State of World’s Children, 2021, UNICEF noted that “…around 14% or one in seven young people aged 15-24 years in India” reported feeling depressed and disinterested.
Read more: Making mental healthcare more accessible for students
Reasons for student suicides
Taking cognisance of this disturbing situation, the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 has studied the factors and issued guidelines for educational institutes to prevent student suicides.
The policy says, “Suicide is a complex interplay of personal and social factors, which is rarely caused by a single circumstance or event. It has an impact on the family, school and community at large. Students go through many transitions during their school life which can cause extreme stress, for example, transition from home to school, from one school to another, school to college, losing a parent/sibling/friend/near and dear one, etc.”
It further states that various changes during the developmental stages lead to worries related to physical changes and appearance apart from peer pressure, career decisions, academic pressure. “Amidst these challenges, a single insensitive comment has the potential to inflict lasting harm. It is important to discard damaging notions, including comparisons with peers, the perception of failure as permanent, and the sole measurement of success based on academic performance,” it says.
Sheela Mallya, Principal of the Children’s Academy School says, “Our highly competitive education system places immense stress on students to perform well in exams, secure high grades, and gain admission to prestigious colleges. The pressure comes not just from schools but also from parents, society, and peers.”
She pointed out that though the government had initiated measures such as helplines and online counselling services, there’s still a gap between policy and implementation. She says, “Though the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, advocates for a more holistic educational approach that balances academics with other developmental areas, this shift is slow to reflect on the ground.”
She emphasised that the issue of student suicides is “multi-dimensional, and tackling it will require collective action from all parts of society.”
Read more: India’s suicide crisis: The unimaginable agony of those left behind
Concerned citizens move court
Increasing student suicides compelled citizens to approach the courts demanding state action to prevent student suicides. Child rights activist Shobha Panchmukh filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court in May 2024. She demanded that Mumbai University direct all educational institutions to set up counselling support for their students in order to prevent suicides.
The PIL stated that the MU was duty bound to take measures to create an atmosphere in the University and the colleges so that incidents of suicide do not take place. It demanded that colleges be asked to nominate counsellors and inform students about the availability of this service.
The petitioner noted that failure to set up a proper and effective mechanism for the redressal of students stress and emotional adjustments could have “catastrophic effect on the life of the students who are on the verge of self-harm and suicide.”
Based on this PIL, the HC has now directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to respond about measures undertaken to address the issue.
Another petitioner, Dr Aniruddha Malpani, a Mumbai-based doctor, approached the Supreme Court in November 2023, seeking action against coaching institutions. The academic pressure at coaching institutions is believed to be one of the major factors in driving students to suicide.
Pointing out that 35,950 students have died by suicide in India between 2019 and 2021, Dr Anirudh demanded restrictions against the Rs 5000 crore coaching class industry that “deceived, hunted and poached” students to the point of death.
Though the SC refused to intervene, subsequently, the union higher education ministry did issue detailed guidelines for coaching centres across the country.
Challenges in implementation of measures
Mental health and health policy researcher Anant Bhan, states that India has had progressive change with decriminalising suicides (the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and the BNS 2024). However, the key concern is implementation of other measures.
“While many educational institutions do have counsellors in place for students to reach out to, the quality and accessibility of such counselling is also important. “It’s important to have evidence-based counselling support from practitioners who understand the science of it. Otherwise, well-meaning counsellors without suicide prevention expertise could end up triggering the student rather than helping them,” he says.
He adds that we need mechanisms to reach students through virtual and digital platforms where they spend significant time. This will ensure response at multiple levels with institutions, family, peers instead of a gatekeeper-based approach.
“Mental health must be recognised as a public health policy priority and measures must be implemented through the fields of health, education, finance, law and policy cohesively,” Anant says.
Institutional measures to prevent student suicides
The National Education Policy (NEP) has stipulated a series of measures for educational institutions, right from the school level to be incorporated as suicide preventive measures.
The NEP recommends that schools put up a suicide prevention plan of action that should include setting up of a School Wellness Team (SWT). This would deal with emergency situations and work to promote a positive school environment, building capacity for different stakeholders and even setting up response mechanisms for students at risk.
The principals are meant to integrate mental well-being sessions, provide channels of expression for students in the form of suggestion boxes and provide access to trained counsellors and compile resources like helplines, emergency contacts of counsellors.
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Counsellors emphasise that any suicide is essentially a cry for help. Dr Jyoti Sangle, consulting psychiatrist with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (IIT-M) and head of department of psychiatry at Mumbai’s Holy Spirit Hospital recommends that systems to identify students needing counselling support must be put in place.
“Care should be taken to ensure their privacy is protected as a protocol. We can’t have teachers calling out roll numbers in class to point out students who need to go and meet counsellors. Institutions should ensure that parents follow-up and implement corrective steps recommended by counsellors. They should not be allowed to brush things under the carpet or stay in a denial mode,” says Dr Jyoti.
She adds that having simple SOPs in place by institutions could help. “Staff must know how to respond in case of a rash step by a student including on how to convey it sensitively to the parent to avoid panic. Similarly, schools/ colleges could also have tie-ups with local health care centres, where students could be screened and parents alerted if a child needs further support. This could help parents avoid the hassle of searching for a professional psychiatrist or bother about appointments,” says Dr Jyoti.
She also recommends a general student screening mechanism in place, either through a questionnaire or such exercise, and undertake a mental health orientation programme for parents, students, and teachers, at the beginning of the academic term.
“A basic training could be provided to all stakeholders, including senior students, to train as volunteers to be bouncing boards and offer peer support with an understanding ear, without being judgemental or patronising. Trained psychiatric nurses or social workers could also be recognised and utilised to meet the huge shortfall of professional psychiatric care,” Dr Jyoti recommends.
Dr Aniruddha feels our outdated education system creates artificial scarcity and excessive stress, prompting youngsters to take the extreme step. He suggests a rehaul, which includes a new system of micro-schools, where the emphasis will be on learning from peers and the community and not on exam grades, ranks or competitions.
| Measures to help students |
Ensure educational institutions implement the guidelines of NEP 2020 to prevent suicides. Provide training for volunteers to offer counselling support — including senior students to utilise them as peer-based emotional support during distress. A mental health screening system is needed in educational institutions to identify students who might need additional psychological support services. Recognise and utilise the services of psychiatric nurses and social workers to meet the shortfall of professional psychiatrists as the first point of contact till professional help can be accessed and for crisis management. |
Great.