Education Ministry prioritises mental-health support to curb student suicide deaths
NEW DELHI: The process of strengthening and upgrading mental-health infrastructure in educational institutions has been accorded due priority, said Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education.
To prevent the recurrence of student deaths by suicide, the government is providing psychological support to students, teachers, and families, and focusing on mental and emotional well-being, he said.
He was submitting a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha by MP Manoj Kumar Jha on the increasing instances of student deaths by suicide in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), including IITs, Central Universities and NITs, and the steps taken to ensure their well-being.
The annual Accidental Death & Suicide in India (ADSI) reports by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed that in 2022, student suicides allegedly accounted for 7.6% of the total suicide cases, compared to 8% in 2021 and 8.2% in 2020, Majumdar said.
“An initiative of the Ministry of Education, MANODARPAN, covers a wide range of activities to provide psychological support to students, teachers, and families for mental and emotional well-being such as the National toll-free helpline that has been extending guidance to callers through trained counsellors. Live interactive sessions ‘Sahyog’ and webinars ‘Paricharcha’ are organised regularly to create awareness about the importance of mental health among all stakeholders, including students,” he said.
These sessions are telecast on PM e-Vidya channels and are also available on the ‘NCERT Official’ YouTube channel, he added.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) issued Guidelines for Promotion of Physical Fitness, Sports, Student’s Health, Welfare, Psychological and Emotional Well-being at HEIs in April 2023.
HEIs are promoting the integration of yoga into academic life on campus by introducing year-long yoga event calendars and dedicated courses on yoga.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)