Saving student lives with institutional interventions

Jane Goodall had a remarkable ability to inspire us to connect with the natural wonders of our world

- Aqsa Shaikh Alok Sarin

Student suicides often evoke myriad responses.

For some, it is a failure, for some, unbearable pressure. For some, an escape and for others, a crime, even institutional murder.

In recent years, public attention has been drawn to a series of high-profile student suicides. For a few days, these tragedies spark debate and outrage. But in an age of vanishing attention spans, the larger crisis continues to unfold every single day.

India loses nearly 14,000 students to suicide each year. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau released this week showed the number of student suicides in India climbed to 13,892 in 2023, climbing 34.4% from 10,335 in 2019 and 64.9% from 8,423 in 2013. A total of 117,849 students died by suicide between 2013 and 2023.

For every suicide death, research suggests there may be 20 attempts. The number of students silently contemplating suicide or enduring severe mental anguish might be manifold.