BHUBANESWAR: Despite growing incidents of student suicides, educational institutions in the state have no system in place yet to help the teenagers and youth deal with depression, stress, academic and peer pressure.
The state’s higher educational institutions are yet to adopt the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s guidelines on setting up students’ service centres that are aimed at addressing mental health issues. While only a handful of schools in the state have dedicated counsellors, the provision does not yet exist in higher educational institutions.
The UGC had in 2023 mandated creation of the cells in colleges and universities that would have dedicated counsellors to counsel and guide students either online, through a telephone helpline or in group counselling sessions depending upon the circumstances. Two years have passed since but the colleges and universities in Odisha are yet to begin work in this direction.
On Monday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly that 72 students have allegedly ended their lives in private and government schools and colleges from 2020 till now. He said some of the identified causes behind the suicides were academic stress, depression related to examination and love affair, mental pressure, harassment, mental imbalance, denial of phone usage in school hostel, misunderstanding with friends, domestic conflict, failed love affairs, psychological problems and even homesickness and parental restriction on visiting home. Majhi had last year informed in the Assembly that there had been over 50 pc rise in overall student suicides (across general, technical and professional streams) from 2021 to 2023. It was 119 in 2021, 173 in 2022 and 189 in 2023.
Official sources said as of now, the state government has Tele-MANAS helpline (14416) and another helpline 1800-3457288 which is operated by the SCB MCH’s Mental Health Institute. From 2021 to October 2023, 20,000 calls were made to Tele-MANAS helpline, particularly by youths.
Similarly, the Ministry of Social Justice operates a mental health rehabilitation helpline KIRAN (1800-599-0019) in 13 languages including Odia. “However, it is also a fact that students are largely unaware of these mental health counselling facilities that both government and private organisations are providing. Suicidal tendency among them is very high these days owing to stress at many levels but they keep neglecting the thought of seeking help,” said Pradyumna Dalei, a city-based psychologist.
In 2023, the state government under its Mo College Abhiyan had signed an MoU with India Psychiatric Society to create awareness among college and university students on identifying mental health issues and tackling them, but the initiative did not make much progress.