Student suicides soar 26% in 5 years, education system blamed

Here's a compelling argument for education reforms in the country: student suicides have increased 26% from 2006 to 2010, with Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai accounting for most victims, in that order. And this is just the official data.

While 5,857 student suicides were reported in 2006, the figure jumped to 7,379 in 2010, according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau. In other words, 20 students killed themselves every day in 2010, something both academicians and mental health professionals blame on a flawed education system where performance pressure ranks above all else. For the first time in five years, Maharashtra recorded the largest number of suicides in 2010, followed by West Bengal.

Over the past decade or so, the two states have only interchanged positions at the top, a phenomenon unexplained by even educationists. Delhi, as a city, alone accounted for 133 deaths in 2010, while as a state, it accounted for 166 deaths.

"The examination system and the selection process for institutions of higher education weigh heavily on young people," says Shyam Menon, vice-chancellor of Ambedkar University in Delhi. "The volume of students passing out of the school education system and vying for admission to tertiary education has dramatically increased over the years, with competition levels increasing too. At a time when higher education can result in social mobility, the stakes are very high. Today, there is a greater link between employability and higher education." Menon believes changes in the education system over the years reflect the changes in the Indian middle-class and their high aspirations, which push young people to perform or perish.

Psychiatrist Dr Sanjay Chugh feels the NCRB data is the most reliable evidence that things are only going from bad to worse in the Indian education system. Chugh blames a myopic education system for forcing students to learn what they may never need in life. "Why do we expose our children to such nonsense, with examinations becoming a do-or-die situation where students need a minimum percentage to get into a halfway decent college," asks Chugh. An inadequate system, coupled with lack of proper social support, pushes students over the brink, says Chugh. "If a child's parents do not add to the pressure that the education system puts on him, chances are his stress levels will never cross the threshold for suicide."

Professor Armaity Desai, former chairperson of the University Grants Commission, points to the lack of quality education institutions in the country, with the result that there is a great deal of pressure to perform at critical points of a student's life, such as board exams. When it comes to student suicides, Desai feels the situation is not being addressed by the Centre or state governments.

Countrywide data on student suicides (Source: NCRB)

Percentage increase in student suicides from 2006-10: 26%

Percentage increase in student suicides from 2009-10: 9%

With 133 student suicides in Delhi (city),the national capital has the second highest number of student suicides across the country in 2010

If Delhi as a union territory is taken inot account, the number of student suicides works out to 166

Mumbai is the city with the third highest number of student suicides

Maharashtra is the state with the highest number of student suicides, followed by West Bengal

Education System And Student Suicide Rate

Who is to be blamed when a student commits suicide due to academic pressure? Is it the academically oriented education system; is it a fault of the student who fails to fight against adversity or is it the ever demanding group of family and friends.

The prevalent education system is bitten by the dogma that mental growth is far more important and relevant than physical or spiritual growth. The calendar of events at any level of the system shows its unfulfilled hunger to constantly judge the well being of a student based on a few paltry numbers. And it is because of the system’s addiction for numbers that the whole relevance of education, which is to evolve any youngster into a responsible citizen of the society, is lost and gets reduced to a rat race where scoring is all that matters; by hook or by crook.

The level of competition which is prevalent right now is unprecedented. In such times, the 21st century student is expected to be well equipped in both intelligent quotient (IQ) as well as emotional quotient (EQ). On one hand the student is expected to be creative enough to keep up with the times while on the other there are expectations to demonstrate emotional stability to handle the stress of change.

But we need to realise that not everyone is a born Einstein or a Newton. Different individuals have different talents and different learning abilities. But the system places so much stress on book learning that all other talents get overshadowed by a person’s ability to memorize facts and then to reproduce them in the examination. There’s also the prospect of having to face unfavourable results. What does a student do in case he/she fares badly in an exam? Is suicide the only answer to this problem?

As for poor results, it is very important to put the marks that we obtain in our life’s perspective. Only then will we realise how small and insignificant portion of our life do they cover. They are merely stepping stones towards opening some doors that will help us achieve our goals. There isn’t going to be any shortage of opportunities in our lives. If one door shuts, be rest assured that another one will open soon. One must always keep in mind that the best learning in life usually happens from failure.

Finally, the third part of the system — “family”. Although their role is the most downplayed one, yet their impact on a student’s life is usually what determines the way he/she responds to the situations thrown by life. An ever demanding set of peers, who constantly pressurize a child to perform at the top most level, leave the child with very little choice in case the results dip on the wrong side of the line. On the other hand, parents who are supportive of their wards and are prepared to have their backs in case their pupil stumbles at any juncture, cultivate the importance of support and a never give up spirit which, in present times, is of utmost importance.

It is important that a child is taught to be competitive and made to challenge his/her abilities from time to time. But at the same time, a student must also be taught that winning isn’t everything. Going out there and giving your best is what matters. Success and failure are just classifications put up by the world to segregate our efforts. At the end of the day, a person’s biggest competitor is his own self.

In a country like ours, which accounts for the most number of suicides in the world (age group of 15-24), something needs to be done urgently. The change in the education system is not going to happen overnight. It will take some time. The policy makers are too busy with their own struggle to stay in power, to undertake definite actions for the system’s enhancement. What we, as individuals can do is work on the ‘student’ and ‘family’ part of the system? Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It is time we implement his saying and be more flexible in our manners to stop this uncalled loss of young lives.

Suicide rates in India are highest in the 15-29 age group

Young Indians are more likely to commit suicide than previously thought, especially those living in wealthier and more educated regions, according to a study on Friday that experts say suggests India's rapid development is driving many youths to despair.

Opportunities that have come with two decades of economic boom and open MARKETS have also brought more job anxiety, higher expectations and more pressure to achieve, mental heal
th experts said.

India has some of the world's highest suicide rates, with many believing the biggest risk group to be rural farmers facing debt after poor harvests.

However, the study - published in the Lancet medical journal on Friday - says suicide rates are highest in the 15-29 age group, peaking in southern regions that are considered richer and more developed with better education, social welfare and health care.

That puts the young at high risk - a new phenomenon experts said has happened recently as more middle-class youths strive to meet achievement expectations, and new technologies like cell phones and social networking sites help break down traditional family units once relied on for support.

Overall, the report uses a national government survey of deaths in 2001-03 to estimate 187,000 suicides took place in 2010, making it the cause of 3 per cent of deaths that year.

The WHO reports about 1 million suicides a year, which would be a rate of about 14 per 100,000 in a global population of 7 billion. By comparison, the U.S. had 37,790 suicides in 2010, or a rate of 12.2 per 100,000, while India's rate under the Lancet's projected suicide tally of 187,000 would be near 16 - far higher than earlier reports and estimates of around 10.

There has been little scientific examination of suicide motives in India.

While The Lancet study does not address the question of motivation, the report's authors, as well as experts not associated with the study, saw few likely reasons for the rise in suicide among young people beyond the increased pressure that has come with new economic opportunity and social fragmentation.

The higher rates may come from "the greater likelihood of disappointments when aspirations that define success and happiness are distorted or unmet by the reality faced by young people in a rapidly changing society," said Dr. Vikram Patel, one of the report's authors, in an editorial printed in The Hindu.

He also noted online social networking was making "loneliness more common." He admits his conclusion is conjecture, but says "I cannot think of any more plausible explanation."

Among men, 40 per cent of suicides were among people age 15-29. For women, it was nearly 60 per cent.

The numbers mean young men are nearly as likely to die from suicide as in traffic accidents, while rates of suicide among young women are nearly as high as the rate of death by complications from pregnancy or childbirth.

The revelation has shocked many in a country notorious for poor maternal health care statistics.

"We can only guess broadly at what might be behind it. People say partially the rapid changes on society that have come with globalization, the breakdown of the families," said Dr. Roy Abraham, president of the Indian Psychiatric Society.

There are few facilities in India for mental health problems, and stigmas prevent many people from seeking support. Telephone help lines are often not adequately staffed, and many schools do not have counsellors.

"Mental health is not a priority in India," he said. "It has to be a priority. Many people are not aware of the fact that mental health is behind suicide."

Courts are starting to mandate programs for educating people about public health issues including suicide, sexuality and drug abuse, experts said.

"The young face very high competition and pressure from families to succeed. Many parents think their child should come first in the class. Of course, that can't happen," said Dr. T.S. Sathyanarayana Rao, head of psychiatry at J. S. S. Medical College & Hospital in Mysore, 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the nation's technology centre of Bangalore.

When youths start to despair, they often don't think to seek help, or shun the idea because "they think psychiatry is only for crazy people," he said.

Many suicide cases still go unreported, expert said, as people hide what is still an illegal act in India, the report says.