When 364 students commit suicide in just eight months, it unfolds a nightmarish spectre before the country ---one that is on way to graduating for a developing nation. Is not it a mind-boggling reality that apart from 45 students committing suicide daily, even a 7-year-old child also opted for ending life in such a horrific manner? That 194 of these learners or 78.6 per cent of the total are between ages 13 and 20 is no less alarming.
According to the Anchal Foundation which has kept a tab on suicide cases published in the media, between June 2020 and July 21, a total of 151 cases of suicide was reported. That was the pandemic time but the post-pandemic eight months have already recorded a far higher casualty of this kind than its preceding13 months. Notably, the number of suicides during the period from July 22-December 31, 2021is missing here. Also missing are those suicidal cases that went unreported because of the family stigma or other reasons.
However, the available data are enough to give a clear indication that the pandemic is largely responsible for devastating the mental equilibrium of the young generations. Of those who committed suicides, 194 are school students, 76 college students, 50 university students and 44 madrasha students. It will be wrong to conclude that excessive pressure at educational institutions or home for study has prompted the majority of the self-invited deaths.
Romance-related suicides top the list at 25.27 per cent, emotional crisis in which the young ones feel neglected or not given the importance they deserve comes next at 24.73 per cent, failure on the parts of parents to meet up the demands follows at 7.42 per cent and family feud and psychic disorder account for 6.59 per cent each. Rape or sexual harassment prompted 4.67 per cent teenagers to commit the ultimate act.
Compared with these, pressure of study and session jam, according to the Anchal findings, were responsible for only 0.82 per cent each and failure in examinations led a little higher percentage of self-destroyers at 1.92 per cent. The other reasons behind suicides were false accusation of theft, financial hardship, refusal of marriage proposal, married to a man not up to expectation and even the death of a friend. No reason could be found out for 15.93 per cent of the suicides.
Two things are highly significant here: first, school students comprise the majority of the suicides at 53 per cent and among the 160 were in the age group of 14-16; second, 221 girls have a percentage of 60.71 as against 29 per cent for 143 boys. It would have given a deeper insight if the social classes the self-annihilating children belonged to were available. But it can be assumed that most of them had smartphones for online classes or they could not be victim to cybercrime scandals.
It can also be assumed that the online classes were mostly perfunctory and parents or guardians spent hardly any qualitative time with their children. Emotionally highly susceptible, adolescent boys and girls became either addicted to things during the days of home confinement they were not supposed to had they attended their classes regularly or, developed online relations with their opposite sex. Then in the post-pandemic freedom their exuberance fell flat on reality.
This is what can explain the highest proportion of romance-related suicides. Students under an education system that is mostly devoid of creativity and extra-curricular activities surely comes under pressure even in normal time. In a crisis like the pandemic the mental vacuum is likely to be filled with anything easily available. Digital age has unlimited elements to fill it.
How the new education policy will shape the education system is yet to be known and before that comes into force, there is an urgent need for appointment of professional psychologists or formation of teams of such professionals who will visit schools and have sessions with parents and vulnerable students, maybe, once in a month. In case of critical cases, especial measures can be taken to save life from this horrible act.
