Children suicides… when will teachers own up for this?

The viral CCTV footages of ongoing suicides by school children have been some of the most difficult live captures to watch of late. School children just casually jumping from the parapet walls in corridors. It had me reminiscing about my school days in a private school in Delhi and how stressful life was as a teenager especially in senior classes. Every Monday test and homework load with puberty hormones playing a havoc on moods and causing extreme temper. I won’t hesitate in calling my senior years at school the worst years of my life.

Years have passed and I can only imagine how much more strenuous life would have become for school going children now. More extra curricular activities, more academics and even more competition. I do feel that at that age, sensitive as teenagers are, their teachers and their opinions matter a bit too much. Add to that bullying by the classmates and you have a perfect case for a child resorting to extreme behaviour. So much so that it can actually push a child to commit suicide.

Let us look at some related figures for the country. The number of student suicides has gone up by ~65% over the decade (from 8,423 in 2013 to 13,892 in 2023). Student suicides made up 8.1% of all suicides in India in 2023.

Adolescent violent behaviour is an international hot topic with many other countries reeling with it. In the US for example it is more common for teenagers to carry easily available guns of their parents to school and open fire randomly on both teachers and students alike.
So it can be construed as being possible for India too. And perhaps few years down the line we would hear such news if important measures are not taken immediately. In the age of AI, I sincerely hope this trend doesn’t catch up in India.

We are quick to blame the child as being hyper sensitive or moody. But the child is a child and not an adult. He or she is not mature to think rationally at all times. But teachers are adults. Parents leave their children in school thinking that it will be a safe place for their child with responsible and caring adults not a hostile war zone.

We always talk about child screening, checking for depression or silent nuanced signals of temperamental behaviour in them but we need to check the teachers too for similar behavioural patterns. Infact, teachers are supposed to be role models. They should not only support the students themselves but also ensure no bullying takes place in front of them. After all children spend more time in school than at home. Plus, teachers need to refrain from nasty comments and personal biases since children can not fight back they tend to pent it up and can take extreme measures in desperate situations.

I am happy that in the Delhi suicide case the teachers have been suspended. However, I would urge the authorities to arrest the teachers for abetment to suicide. For how long this country will only blame the child and refer children to counselling. Teachers have to be made accountable as adults and caretakers, not rendering appropriate service and for dereliction of duty. We ask students to take care of the body and mind, similarly we need to ask teachers to do the same and not bring their personal/ home problems to school. Teachers need to keep their life frustrations in check. Children often participate in sports and music to exercise their body and calm their minds.

How many teachers participate in such sports or ever work out regularly for better body and mind?

Nobody seems to be asking any questions to these teachers whose students are jumping to their deaths.

While we need to screen children at home and at school, we need to have rules in place for such checks and screenings for the teachers too, by an independent body like the CBSE and not the school itself.

As far as children are concerned they need to understand that ” your academic performance or dance performance at school will have minuscule impact on how your life turns out. As far as your teacher’s opinion goes that will definitely have absolutely zero impact on your future life”.

And hence children should save their sensitivity for better and bigger things in life.

As far as the government is concerned it needs to do more than just appoint Bollywood mental health patients as Mental Health brand ambassadors in the country.

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