Suicides Cases Among Student

Syllabus: GS1/Society; GS2/Governance

Context

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Education presented in response to a written question in Parliament, highlighting student suicides in India.

Students Suicides in India

• According to the NCRB’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) Report, 7.6% of total suicides in 2022 were by students, 2,248 student suicides were directly attributed to exam failure.
  • It marks a slight decline from 8.0% in 2021 and 8.2% in 2020.

Factors Responsible For Student Suicide

• Individual vulnerabilities: Low self-esteem, impulsivity, trauma histories, history of physical or sexual abuse, and learning and intellectual disability.
• Family Pressures: Over-anxious and over-ambitious parents, dysfunctional family, criticisms, comparisons with peers and lack of support in the family, alcoholism, violence, psychological and economic problems in the family increases suicidal risk.
• Systemic flaws: One-point evaluation, media hype around results, and lack of career guidance.
• Institutional stressors: Pressure on teachers and students to achieve 100% pass rates.

Case Study: Kota

• India’s obsession with competitive entrance exams has led to the rise of coaching hubs like Kota, Rajasthan, where over 200,000 students enroll annually. 
• The intense study schedules, isolation, and lack of recreational outlets have contributed to 29 suicides in Kota alone in 2023.

Policy Initiatives and Mental Health Interventions

• Tele-MANAS Programme: A national tele-mental health helpline (dial 14416), with over 1.36 million calls handled across 42 centers in 31 states & UTs .
• District Mental Health Programme (DMHP): Offers suicide prevention services and life skills training in schools.
• National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS): Aims to reduce suicide rates by 10% by 2030 through media sensitization, healthcare strengthening, and limiting access to lethal means.
• Manodarpan Programme: A flagship initiative by the Ministry of Education offering psychological support through helplines and live sessions.
  • It has reached lakhs of students across the country.
• Anti-Drug Campaigns: Recognizing addiction as a rising issue among youth, the Centre has intensified outreach efforts alongside mental health support.
• UGC Advisories: Urges higher education institutions to prioritize physical fitness, emotional well-being, and student welfare.
• Stress Management Workshops: Institutions like IIT-Madras, IIT-Delhi, and IIT-Guwahati have begun conducting resilience-building sessions under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme.
• Supreme Court’s Intervention (2025): Declared a ‘suicide epidemic’ among students and recommended flexible curricula, continuous assessment, and campus mental health support.

Looking Ahead

• The Ministry of Education is drafting legislation to establish the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) — a unified regulatory body aimed at improving governance and transparency in higher education.
  • It aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework.
  • Currently, higher education oversight is fragmented:
    • UGC: Non-technical education
    • AICTE: Technical institutions
    • NCTE: Teacher education
• HECI aims to integrate these functions under a single regulator, building on a 2018 draft bill that proposed repealing the UGC Act.

Source: IE