education

Updated: Mar 13, 2016 20:24 IST

The number of student suicides has gone up by over 240% in Madhya Pradesh in the past 10 years, according to the National Crime Record Bureau 2005-14 figures.

The figures assume significance in view of the number of students committing suicide this year too. As per the reports coming from various parts of the state, over 18 students, including at least eight girls, chose to end their life due to the fear of their failure in examinations.

Given the trend in the past, it is believed that the number of suicides in the state may be much more which couldn’t come to light from remote parts of the state.

Of the reasons, fear of failure among students has been found to be a major trigger for suicide.

More than 4700 students committed suicide in the past 10 years across Madhya Pradesh from 2005 to 2014, according to the national crime record bureau. There has been a constant increase in the figures from 199 in the year 2005 to 645 in the year 2014.

However, in comparison to the figures of 2013, the number of students committing suicide slightly came down in 2014. In 2013 as many as 667 students committed suicide, including 357 males and 310 females, while in 2014 the number of suicide cases stood at 645 with male students’ number exceeding the female students. Of the 645 deceased 300 were males and 345 females.

Alarming number of suicide incidents related to students this year rocked the state assembly during its ongoing budget session. The speaker Sitasharan Sharma formed a committee to look into the matter. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan went to the extent of saying that those exerting pressure on students would be treated as criminals.

Psychologist Anita Singh told HT there had been a significant change in the psyche of students. “Tolerance level among students is coming down. Of the reasons driving them to take the extreme step like ending their life include peer pressure, parents expectation, education being more demanding, lack of proper communication between parents and students and also students and teachers,” she said.

Minister of state for school Deepak Joshi said the trends showed that suicides by students of private schools were more than that of the government schools. He quoted information from about 10 private schools. He said in some cases students were forced to opt a particular subject on the basis of the marks they got. “Why should they force them? Let the students decide what he or she wants to study”, Joshi said, adding that soon every school would have a counselor as per the direction of the chief minister.

RISING NUMBERS

Fear of failure in examinations is the major killer

Year Student suicide

2010 459

2011 451

2012 595

2013 667

2014 645