HYDERABAD: A shocking 29 per cent of all student suicides across the nation are reported in the South Indian states, according to a white paper released by IC3 Institute, a volunteer-based organisation. Analysing figures from National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the report “Averting Student Suicides: Research and Advocacy Task Force”, acknowledges the urgent need to address the issue.
IC3 will be organising a blindfolded music concert at HICC, Novotel on August 24, the proceeds of which will support its mission of training and empowering teachers in schools by providing them with the skills needed to guide students on their journey towards career and college paths.
Speaking about the report, IC3 founder Ganesh Kohli said that young people are leaving high schools with no sense of direction. This leads to unhappy lives and extreme levels of anxiety, disappointment, and frustration, which is bringing families and society to the brink. Systemic guidance at the school level can help resolve many of these issues, he said.
The white paper cites the 2021 NCRB report documenting 13,089 student suicides, a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year. The 2020 data showed a 21.2 per cent rise in student suicides compared to 2019. Over the last decade (2012-21), there were 97,571 student suicides, a 57 per cent increase from the previous decade (2002-11). In 2021, student suicides accounted for 8 per cent of total suicides in India, while ‘persons engaged in agriculture’ constituted 6.7 per cent.
“I was appalled to hear that India reported more student suicides than farmer suicides. We have to do everything in our power to empower our little ones and give them choices in life while teaching them not to succumb to anxiety and depression,” said Lakshmi Manchu, a long-time supporter of IC3 Institute.
Telangana is a key focus for the IC3 Institute. In 2021, the Institute partnered with Telangana’s Social Welfare Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) to train 20 skilled school teachers through its one-year ‘Empower’ programme.
The goal is to extend this training to teachers and coordinators in 400 residential and marginalised schools in the coming years. The Institute’s trained counsellors are active in schools serving marginalised communities, including Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mahbubnagar, and Government Girls High School, Karimnagar.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7).