Does academic pressure drive students to suicide? | India News
On July 13, a student from class 12 was found dead in suspicious circumstances on the premises of the school in Kallakurichi. The incident led to violence on July 17 and the school was vandalized, documents and certificates were burned and property was damaged.
On July 25, similar cases were reported in Tiruvallur and Cuddalore districts where two students from Class 12 reportedly died by suicide.
On Tuesday, July 26, a 17-year-old girl in class 11 hanged herself to death at her residence in Ayyambatti district, near Sivakasi.
Prime Minister of State MK Stalin promised strict action after reports of student suicides. “Few recent incidents have been saddening. The school should be run as a service. You should impart self-confidence, boldness and mental toughness. Students in Tamil Nadu should be able to meet all kinds of challenges You have to face your problems boldly, especially female students,” he said.
- five students ended their lives in two weeks in Tamil Nadu — four girls and one boy. Except for one girl, who studied in Class 11, all the others were students in Class 12.
- Who? The first of the suicides was reported on July 13 in the Kallakurichi district. His death sparked massive protests and arson which left several injured. Four others ended their lives between Monday and Wednesday morning – in Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Sivakasi and Sivaganga.
- Academic pressure? The Kallakurichi girl, found dead at a private boarding school, blamed two teachers in her suicide note accusing them of “humiliating her for her academic performance”. In Cuddalore, a four-page suicide note spoke of “the girl’s inability to fulfill
IAS aspirations placed in her by her parents. The boy Sivaganga’s grade stated that he could not cope with math and biology. Two others left no notes.
- Earlier, a student committed suicide on July 6 in
Krishnagiri apparently after finding the NEET a difficult exam to pass.
Who is responsible?
CM MK Stalin said that it is the responsibility of educational institutions to instill self-confidence, determination and courage in students to help them face challenges of all kinds.
Psychological counseling
The government of Tamil Nadu has decided to appoint 800 doctors to provide psychological counseling to students under the “Manavar Manasu” program.
National data
The NCRBThe 2020 report reveals that a student died by suicide every 42 minutes or 34 student deaths per day.
Out of 12,526 student suicides in 2020, 53% or 6,598 were from six states – Maharashtra, Odisha, MP, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Karnataka.
While student suicides accounted for 7.4% of the total 1.3 lakh suicides in 2019, they account for 8.2% of the total 1.5 lakh suicides in 2020.