The NEET-UG exam paper leak in May, which affected more than 20 lakh students, purportedly led to about 20 students’ death by suicide due to its adverse psychological impact. As students felt their hard work was being wasted, anxiety rose over high coaching fees and the re-examination. In the wake of this turmoil, on July 22, the Karnataka government directed all higher education institutions in the state to report every incident of suicide among students to the jurisdictional police, irrespective of whether it occurs on campus, in a hostel or at an accommodation elsewhere. The circular stresses that all universities, colleges, residential academies, hostels and paying guest accommodations must strictly comply with the guidelines on students’ safety and mental health.
While this is indeed a welcome step, efforts to help students develop a positive and healthy attitude towards life and career decisions need to begin from the early years of schooling. Mental health experts say extreme psychological reactions among students in higher education institutions almost always have roots in childhood, when skill-building mechanisms need to be activated. Informed intervention in these years can directly help with suicide prevention later.
Unfortunately, it is estimated that up to 90 percent of schools in India lack professional counselling services, and there is a huge disparity between urban and rural schools as well as between private and public ones. The counsellor-students ratio in Indian schools is 1:5,000, against the World Health Organization recommendation of 1:250. Besides, even where counsellors are present, there is a lack of awareness about the value of psychological counselling and teaching life skills to students—not just among parents, but also among teachers—defeating the very purpose of such services.
Psychological competencies strengthen aspects like communication, decision-making and problem-solving, fortifying young minds in critical and creative thinking, self-awareness, empathy, healthy interpersonal relationships, coping with stress, managing emotions and resolving conflicts. It helps the individual in dealing with failure—to take it as a lesson rather than an end-of-the-world scenario. Such skills that build up positive attitudes can significantly help ward off depressive tendencies and build up fortitude. Initiating this in early school years must be a top-priority joint effort by the Centre and the states to nurture mentally resilient citizens.