Student suicides in India: Many recall the restlessness of school days—gazing out of the classroom window, longing for the bell to ring, feigning illness to avoid a test, or secretly hoping for a school closure after a public figure’s death. These memories are more than nostalgia; they hint at deeper discomfort with the structure and spirit of our education system. For some, schooling felt like an imposition rather than a journey of curiosity and growth. An alarming rise in student suicides forces us to assess whether our system nurtures learning or inadvertently sows despair.
The scale of the crisis is no longer anecdotal. The National Crime Records Bureau has recorded more than 13,000 student suicides in India in 2022 — an average of over 35 every single day — making it one of the highest such tallies globally. The number has risen steadily over the past decade, with a sharp spike in states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, which also have some of the country’s most competitive school and college systems.
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A Lancet Public Health study has identified academic stress, parental expectations, and lack of mental health support as major contributing factors, while the Indian Psychiatry Society notes that less than 10% of schools have trained counsellors on staff. The pattern is unmistakable: a system designed to test endurance rather than nurture talent is pushing an alarming number of young people to the brink.
Student suicides : Questions we avoid asking
Why is education, which should enlighten, turning into a source of acute distress? Is it now measured only by economic returns rather than personal growth? Are parents, teachers, private institutions, policymakers, and even political parties complicit — whether through neglect, misplaced priorities, or deliberate pressure — in creating an environment where academic achievement overshadows mental well-being? The silence of political parties, otherwise quick to capitalise on emotive issues, is telling; student suicides are not seen as a vote-winning concern.
What should be a joyful and enriching process has become, for many, a relentless grind. In a climate that prizes competition over collaboration and consumerism over contentment, education is marketed as an investment with expected returns — like a high-performing stock. A child’s progress is often measured against peer benchmarks, parental aspirations, and institutional metrics rather than personal potential. The result is a cycle of pressure, burnout, and in some tragic cases, loss of life.
Our schools and colleges remain bound by a rigid, centralised framework. From syllabus design to assessment methods, the system demands uniformity, leaving little room for individual learning styles, talents, or interests. The logic of industrial-era standardisation persists in an era that demands adaptability and creativity. As the Centre for Policy Research notes, “personalisation of education” remains more rhetoric than reality in India’s classrooms.
Towards a humane model of learning
In a neoliberal order, education serves not just to enlighten but to reinforce the economic hierarchy. Success is defined narrowly — high-paying jobs, elite college admissions, competitive rankings — while those who fall outside this frame are dismissed as failures. This narrative feeds insecurity, discourages alternative pathways, and reduces self-worth to market value.
Many private institutions in India tout modern teaching methods — smart classrooms, virtual learning modules, and concept-based instruction. Yet, as the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and UNESCO studies highlight, these innovations often remain cosmetic. True pedagogical reform — emphasising collaborative, tactile, and inquiry-led learning — is rare. Instead, marks, ranks, and pass percentages are aggressively marketed to attract customers, deepening the transactional nature of education.
The one-size-fits-all model has reached its limits. It not only fails to nurture individual strengths but also contributes to loneliness, anxiety, and depression among students. While dismantling the current system wholesale may be unrealistic, alternative models can and must be developed. These could include flexible curricula, vocational integration, mental health support, and community-driven learning initiatives.
A policy consensus is needed to democratise, sensitise, and liberalise education — placing well-being on par with academic excellence. This requires action from all stakeholders: policymakers to create enabling frameworks, educators to adopt inclusive pedagogy, parents to recalibrate expectations, and civil society to hold institutions accountable. Without such a shift, we risk perpetuating a system that not only erodes the joy of learning but endangers the very lives it is meant to shape.
Samudrala VK is a prominent columnist who writes on international affairs, trade, social and economic issues.