7 students allegedly die by suicide after Telangana Intermediate exam results
Student suicides up 21% in 3 years; 6,879 bids thwarted
Another Kota suicide sounds alarm as deaths continue despite panels, measures, guidelines
‘Papa, mere se nahi ho payega’: Bihar JEE aspirant dies by suicide in Kota, sixth case in 2024
NEET aspirant, 20, allegedly dies by suicide in Kota, 8th such incident this year
Student suicides go up by 10% in state, reveals NCRB
Student suicides — a cry for help that must be heeded
Alarming student suicide rates in India – what needs to be done?
Introduction
These aren’t headlines; rather, they’re the terrible reality that students must deal with, and the calls to action that they make, but all in vain.
It is a well-known fact that parental expectations and competition pressures negatively impact students’ well-being. This is particularly true in light of the growing number of people who view academic achievement as a means of achieving a better life.
Schools promote a competitive mindset as well, helping students reach greater heights through instruction. This encourages memorizing, leads kids to coaching centers where the standards are much higher, and prevents youngsters from searching for deeper meaning in what they learn.
The majority of schools these days are not equipped with the means to recognize a cry for help. Year-round support programs that build kids’ coping strategies and resilience are extremely rare in Indian education, especially for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Education experts have also underlined how important it is to offer counseling to parents and teachers. It has long been clear that the rigorous curriculum fails to prepare pupils for the realities of the economy.
One important component of the NEP’s emphasis on fostering a supportive environment for students is emotional well-being. The announcement of the intermediate (equivalent of Classes XI and XII) results coincided with the alleged suicide deaths of at least seven students, six of whom were female, in various Telangana districts. This serves as a sobering reminder that, despite several progressive interventions in recent years, much work remains to be done to allay the fears of the nation’s youth.
Year after year, NCRB data has offered important insights into the stress that students experience. Over 13,044 Indian students took their own life in 2022, accounting for 7.6% of all suicide deaths that year, according to the Bureau.
Statistics
Up to seven intermediate students are thought to have killed themselves in Telangana after the results of the Telangana Board of Intermediate Examinations were announced (TSBIE).
Authorities said that two females committed themselves after failing the exam. The first one hung themselves at home, while the other dove into a well.
A first-year student who allegedly committed suicide after failing the examinations was another occurrence.
In Jadcherla by a railway track, another child from the Nallakunta neighborhood of Hyderabad was found dead.
The authorities deduced that his poor exam result was the reason behind his demise.
There have been rumors that three first-year intermediate students, who had failed tests, may have committed suicide at different places.
According to the media, a 16-year-old Bihari boy killed himself in Kota, Rajasthan. Kota has committed suicide six times since the year 2024 started. A boy from Bihar named Abhishek Mandal lived in Kota to prepare for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main.
“Mere se JEE nahi ho payega, papa. I apologize; I’m quitting. (Papa, I’m not going to pass the JEE. “Sorry, I’m quitting),” he said, referencing reports that a suicide note had been discovered in his room.
A 20-year-old student in Rajasthan’s Kota district committed suicide while preparing for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), according to authorities. With this, Kota has seen eight suicide incidents so far this year.
A 19-year-old NEET candidate is said to have killed herself in her PG room in Kota on March 28, while a 20-year-old student was discovered dead in his PG room the day before.
In 2023, the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) published a study that stated that over 13,000 pupils had committed suicide. Approximately 10,000 of them were under the age of 18, and one of the main causes of suicide was not passing the exam. A nation with the youngest population on record must address student concerns if it hopes to see a decline in suicide rates in the years to come. We all need to make personal efforts to avoid suicide.
Parental Actions
Taking an interest in the mental health of their children is among the best things that parents and other adults can do. Adolescents may exhibit symptoms of mental health disorders, which are treatable if identified early.
1. Pay attention and find out the precise cause if your child behaves differently. Other than just a bad day at school, there could be a genuine reason for it. Seeking a Mental Health Counselor is advised if you are having problems accepting this.
2. Victims can talk about their problems in a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment. This location could be their house, a social club, or a school.
3. Additionally, interpreting body language is crucial since some sufferers attempt to express themselves in other ways and not all of them do so directly.
What steps students can take?
Stress Management Techniques for Students
1. Organize Yourself
Organizing is the key to managing time. Youngsters often approach their work in an unorganized way.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Getting the required sleep rejuvenates the entire system and restarts the human system with increased vigor and the ability to cope with challenges.
3. Engage in Regular Exercise
Stress disappears when you exercise yourself physically. Cortisol is released from the human brain during stress. The body is harmed and damaged by this hormone’s continuous presence. However, consistent exercise diverts the body and produces feel-good hormones that successfully balance out the negatives.
4. Music Listening
The human brain is stimulated to follow musical patterns by this practice. These rhythms are calming and repeating. They distract you and progressively take the place of the tension that is plaguing you.
5. Adopt a Healthful Diet
Most of the time, students wind up “grabbing bites.” These nibbles may include harmful fats or carbohydrates that cause severe digestive problems. A student with a busy schedule thus finds themselves with a plethora of issues.
Thus, eating frequently to keep blood glucose levels constant will be very beneficial for improving academic performance.
Consuming fruits, vegetables, high-fiber foods, and omega-3 fats will provide you with the minerals—magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, and other elements—that you need to perform consistently.
6. Practicing Meditation
Meditation preserves students’ peace of mind, which is essential to their health. Everyday meditators claim to be more attentive to their studies. Thus, including meditation in daily life is beneficial for students’ mental and physical health.
The prevention of student suicide is a complex issue. The Indian government, at both the state and Central levels, has taken the following actions to address this issue:
Steps taken by – The Union Ministry of Education (MoE)
The draft rules for schools to prevent student suicide have been developed by the Union Ministry of Education (MoE). Its “plan of action” calls for the creation of wellness teams, orientation for teachers and family members, and prompt action when a student exhibits warning signals.
UMMEED (Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathize, Empower, Develop) guidelines are intended to provide schools with guidance on how to improve their sensitivity, understanding, and support when there is self-harm reported.
Under the direction of the school administrator, a school wellness team (SWT) may be set up, with each member trained in crisis management. The guidelines specify that anyone who notices a pupil exhibiting warning indicators must report the student to the SWT so that the SWT can take appropriate action. In order to raise awareness about student suicides, the guidelines suggest providing teachers and family members with an orientation once a year. The schools will hold these orientations in order to increase the capability of different contributors.
The recommendations outline what can be done by a member of the wellness team or an individual at the school in the event that they witness a student trying self-harm or exhibiting warning signals. They emphasize the importance of responding quickly in these situations.
Steps Taken by Telangana Government to prevent student suicides
The government stated that a series of instructions were given to the management of the colleges to reduce the number of students attempting suicide. The directives specified that a senior faculty member should be appointed as a student counselor, that students living in hostels should get at least eight hours of sleep, and that students should have one hour of recreation in the evening.
Comprehensive rules were released by the Rajasthan Government to address the rising number of student suicides, including those in Kota
Following a record number of suicides in Kota, the rules were developed by a 15-member group led by Education Secretary Bhawani Singh Detha.
To create these nine pages of guidelines, the state administration spoke with coaching centers and other appropriate groups.
The Guidelines
The rules are designed to prevent students who are not yet in ninth grade from signing up for medical and engineering entrance exam coaching.
Other recommendations include arranging batches alphabetically rather than according to student ranks and protecting the privacy of test results.
Authorities are concerned about the over 200,000 students that come to Kota annually to prepare for competitive examinations like JEE and NEET.
The coaching centers have been instructed by the government to stop promoting batch toppers and discourage student competition.
Tests can go on, but the results need to be kept private. Additionally, the centers are urged not to make performance-based distinctions between classmates.
The recommendations also advise against ranking-based student segregation and the implementation of a policy that allows students to easily leave the school and receive a refund within 120 days if they or their parents experience any difficulty or unease.
To reduce the psychological strain on students, the government has also suggested some measures, such as mandated weekly holidays, a code of behavior for teachers and boarding schools, and facial recognition technology to deter students from faking their attendance.
A dedicated portal will be utilized to oversee the data of all pupils studying in coaching establishments by establishing a monitoring cell in Kota and Sikar.
Coaching centers are instructed to hire enough licensed psychologists and counselors to oversee students’ mental health regularly. These professionals should be hired by NIMHANS or any other psychology specialist from a government medical college.
To analyze the students’ behavioral changes and take preventive action, the guidelines also mandate mandatory gatekeeper training for teachers, institute managers, other staff members, and the wardens of hostels and paid guest accommodations. Additionally, susceptible pupils must be evaluated during counseling sessions to receive optional career counseling. The students will also need to receive frequent counseling.
Among the actions the administration has taken is requiring fans to have an anti-hanging device installed.
Conclusion
One common misconception regarding depression and suicidal thoughts is that they are transitory and will pass. But as time goes on, it gets worse, and victims decide to end their lives rather than talk about their problems because they don’t feel secure enough to do so. When it comes to handling mental health concerns, society has to change its perspective.
Seeking the assistance of mental health specialists. Help must be sought out without hesitation or guilt, whether it takes the form of counseling or medicine. Private and public institutions that work with students ought to support this.
