Increasing cases of Student suicide in India – Reasons and way forward- Explained, pointwise

The death of 23 students in Kota (the coaching hub of India) in 2023 so far, has again brought to our attention the grave and often neglected crisis of student suicide in India.

As per National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB), Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) report more than 13,000 students commit suicide in India at the rate of more than 35 students per day which comes down to 1 suicide every 42 mins.

What is status of student suicides in India?

Definition-According to Mental Healthcare Act MHA (2017) suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s death.

Legal status of Suicide in India-

According to Section 309 of IPC suicide is a criminal offence punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year.

Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017 has significantly reduced the scope for the use of Section 309 IPC and made the attempt to commit suicide punishable only as an exception.

However, Section 309 continues to remain in the IPC, and it is continuing to be misused.

What are the factors responsible for high rate of student suicides in India?

Student’s suicide in India is driven by multitude of factors which have been listed below-

Economic Factors

Education becoming a means to livelihood rather than knowledge- Education in India has become a means to climb up the economic ladder. Admission into IITs Medical colleges is seen as a gateway for financial freedom.

Unemployment-Prevalence of high rate of unemployment in India. According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) India’s unemployment rate 6.1% is the highest in 45 years. Such a high rate of unemployment lead to pressure among youth and depression which is one of reason of suicide.

Financial stress-The steep cost of preparatory courses and tertiary education acts as a burden on the students and put tremendous pressure on them.

Social Factors

Social pressure to get into government jobs or highly paid private jobs- ‘Sarkari jobs’,’high paying jobs’ phenomenon to escape the social, class and caste predicaments which the families of the students want to break. Children become their pawns to get them out.

Relationship Problems-Relationship problems such as break-ups, family conflicts, and friendship issues contribute to student suicides. These relationship problems become difficult to deal with for students who are far from home and have limited support.

Family problems-There has been a breakdown of the traditional large family support system which have also contributed to increase in suicide tendencies.As young Indians become more progressive, their traditionalist households become less supportive of their choices pertaining to financial independence, marriage age which have led to increase in suicides.

Lack of adequate social support- ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ attitude in Indian society is a permanent feature in the lives of competitive exam aspirants. This puts undue pressure on the aspirants who resort to suicides considering themselves as failure.

Social neglect- Low focus and the taboo associated around mental health is also one of the reasons for student’s suicide. Social stigma of mental illness has also led to increase in the student’s suicide.

Cyber Bullying-Cyber bullying and online harassment are becoming increasingly common and can contribute to student suicides. Cyber bullying takes many forms such as harassment, cyberstalking, or bullying through social media.

Forced career choices- Many students succumb to very high amount of pressure especially from their family and teachers in terms of their career choices and studies.

Substance abuse-According to the National Mental Health Survey (2015-16) more than 22% of India’s population over 18 years suffers from a substance disorder which includes alcoholism, use of tobacco and drug abuse.

Academic Factors

Academic Stress-High expectations from parents, teachers and society can lead to excessive stress and pressure to perform well in exams.This pressure to succeed becomes overwhelming for some students leading to feelings of failure and hopelessness.

Lack of support from Educational Institutions-Educational Institutions lack trained human resource for guidance and counselling and are ill-equipped to tackle mental health issues of children and adolescents.

Examination Centric Education- Equation of academic excellence with marks,pressure of studies and performance are critical factors in students’ suicides in India.

Failure in exams-Students aged 16-18 are often subjected to undue pressure at home to succeed. This drives them to resort to suicides in case of failures in the examination.

Political Factors

Marginalisation of Students from vulnerable sectors- Marginalised section students are pushed further to the margins through a number of factors such as the lack of English-medium education; private institutions charging high fees; poor quality education in government-run schools and institutes and caste discrimination. E.g. Rohit Vermula Suicide.

Flawed neoliberal agenda for failure and success- The rise of neoliberalism as an economic and social ideology has pushed the youth to blame themselves for their failure to secure their ‘dream job’ while the government continues to shirk its basic responsibility.

What initiatives must be taken to reduce student suicides?

Increase employment opportunities-India must focus on ‘job creation’ to meet the employment demands presented with the demographic bulge of young population.

Reduce the financial burden of education- Provision of cheap study loans, reduction of cost of education with GDP allocation to education sector (6% of GDP as per NEP).

Improve Mental Health Services in educational institutions-Providing students with access to mental health services and resources such as counselling services, support groups, and psychiatric services can help prevent suicides. Schools and universities must train teachers, staff, and students in mental health first aid.

School reforms for mental health-Schools and colleges need to foster a culture of understanding and trust where students feel free and safe to talk about issues like bullying and anxiety.

Increase government expenditure on mental health-India does not spend enough on mental health (0.06% of its health budget on mental health). Government must spend more on mental healthcare. It is important to increase medical seats pertaining to mental health professionals.

Family Support to students-Providing students with support from their families can help reduce the risk of suicide. This may include offering support and resources for families and encouraging students to maintain contact with their families.

Launch happiness curriculums in educational institutions- The ‘Happiness Curriculum’ launched by the Delhi government focuses on holistic education by including meditation, value education and mental exercises in conventional education curriculum. It should be adopted by other states also.

Revamp education system- It is important to revamp the exam-centric education system in India. The curriculum should be designed in ways that stress the importance of mental exercises and meditation.

Substance Abuse Prevention Programs-Implementing substance abuse prevention programs can help reduce the risk of student suicides.

Stricter Cyber Bullying Policies- Need proper monitoring of social media sites, providing education about cyber bullying and taking legal action against cyber bullies.

Address the Socio-economic Issues: Socio-economic factors such as poverty, homelessness, and unemployment should be addressed to improve students’ overall well-being and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

Encouraging Participation in Sports-Sports can play a role in preventing suicides in educational hubs by providing a positive outlet for stress and emotions as well as increase self-esteem and confidence.

Focus on Overall Personality Development-By taking a holistic approach to personality development, educational institutions can create a supportive and inclusive environment that helps students thrive both academically and emotionally and can play a critical role in preventing suicides.

Embracing Positive Attitude towards Mental Health-Positive attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking must also be promoted through open discussions about mental health and suicide.

What are the initiatives taken by India to reduce Indian Suicides?

Following are the initiatives taken by India to reduce Indian Suicides-

Mental Healthcare Act (MHA) 2017-MHA 2017 aims to provide mental healthcare services for persons with mental illness.

KIRAN-The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline “KIRAN” to provide support to people facing anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns.

Manodarpan Initiative-Manodarpan is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It is aimed to provide psychosocial support to students, family members and teachers for their mental health and well-being during the times of Covid-19.

National Suicide Prevention Strategy-Announced in 2023, National Suicide Prevention Strategy is the first of its kind in the country, with time-bound action plans and multi-sectoral collaborations to achieve reduction in suicide mortality by 10% by 2030.

What should be the way forward to prevent student suicides?

Suicide should be perceived as a multidimensional public and mental health issue. There is a need to acknowledge its links to various aspects like social, economic, cultural and biological aspects.

Need guidelines from education board to ease pressure on students.E.g.The Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education issued guidelines in 2017 to reduce the pressure on students. It called for Yoga classes, Physical education classes and Improvement of student-teacher ratio.

Proper Implementation of NEP 2020 to reduce pressure on students.

The need of the hour is to learn from past failures to address the growing crisis and take urgent steps that involve all stakeholder -students, parents, teachers, institutes and policy makers.