Student suicides: A collective failure

The future of a nation is often measured by the vibrancy and hope in the eyes of its youth.

- Bhaskar Nath Biswal

Yet, in India, a chilling statistic from the NCRB Report 2023 paints a starkly different, terrifying picture: every 38 minutes, the country loses a young student to suicide. This is not just a number; it is a profound national tragedy, a silent epidemic where the very individuals expected to drive India’s growth are instead crumbling under an unbearable weight. With 13,892 students taking their own lives in 2023, accounting for a shocking 8.1 per cent of all suicides in the country, the crisis demands an immediate, radical reevaluation of our education system and societal values.

The most visceral point of failure is undoubtedly academic performance. The NCRB data reveals a distressing spike in students losing their lives over examination failure, with the toll rising from 2,095 in 2022 to 2,415 in 2023, a concerning 15.3 percent increase. This single metric screams volumes about the toxic emphasis we place on marks and ranks, turning education from a pathway to knowledge into a high-stakes, win-or-perish competition. We have created a system where a single exam result is perceived not just as an assessment of learning, but as a final, irreversible verdict on a student’s entire worth and future potential.