Student sui cides surpass population growth rate in India: Report
PTC News Desk: The number of student sui.cides in India has increased at an alarming rate each year, outpacing population growth and sui.cide patterns, according to a new report.
The "Student Sui.cides: An Epidemic sweeping India" report, based on data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), was released on Wednesday at the Annual IC3 Conference and Expo 2024.
The research stated that while general sui.cide rates grew by 2% per year, student suicide cases increased by 4%, despite a possible "under reporting" of student sui.cide cases.
"Over the past two decades, student sui.cides have grown at an alarming annual rate of 4 per cent, double the national average. In 2022, male students constituted 53 pc (per cent) of the total student sui.cides. Between 2021 and 2022, male student sui.cides decreased by 6 per cent while female student sui.cides increased by 7 per cent," the report stated.
"The incidence of student sui.cides continues to surpass both population growth rates and overall sui.cide trends. Over the last decade, while the population of 0-24-year-olds reduced from 582 million to 581 million, the number of student sui.cides increased from 6,654 to 13,044," it further said.
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, MP have highest rates of student sui.cide
The IC3 Institute is a volunteer-based organisation that assists high schools across the world by providing guidance and training resources for administrators, teachers, and counsellors to help build and sustain strong career and college counselling departments.
According to the survey, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh have the highest rates of student sui.cide, accounting for one-third of the national total.
The Southern states and union territories account for 29% of these cases, while Rajasthan, known for its high-stakes academic environment, ranks tenth, highlighting the severe pressure linked with coaching hubs such as Kota.
Why sui.cide cases are underreported?
"The data compiled by the NCRB is based on police-recorded first information reports (FIRs). However, it is important to acknowledge that the actual number of student sui.cides is likely underreported. This under-reporting can be attributed to several factors, including the social stigma surrounding sui.cide and the criminalisation of attempted and assisted sui.cide under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. Although the 2017 Mental Healthcare Act decriminalises sui.cide attempts for individuals with mental illness, the legacy of criminalisation continues to impact reporting practices."
"Moreover, there are significant data discrepancies due to the lack of a robust data collection system, particularly in rural areas, where reporting is less consistent compared to urban regions," it added.
Ganesh Kohli, Founder of the IC3 Movement, stated that the report serves as a reminder of the critical need to address mental health issues in our educational institutions. "Our educational focus must shift to fostering the competencies of our learners such that it supports their overall well-being, versus pushing them to compete amongst each other," he said.
- With inputs from agencies
