New Delhi: The recent suicides of students in Jaipur and Delhi have raised serious questions about the state of mental health support in schools. On Friday, schools in the two cities initiated several measures, including teacher sensitisation programmes and counseling sessions for parents, even as they emphasised that tackling this issue requires a “collaborative” approach.
A Class 4 student in Jaipur died by suicide on 1 November, allegedly due to prolonged bullying and neglect by school staff, while a Class 10 student in Delhi died by suicide on 18 November, reportedly after being mentally harassed and humiliated by his teachers.
In the Jaipur case, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the school involved. In Delhi, St. Columba’s School suspended four members of its teaching staff, considering the serious allegations against them, and the Delhi government set up a “high-level” committee to probe the incident.
These are not isolated incidents. According to the NCRB 2023 report, 13,892 student suicides were recorded—the highest in a decade—accounting for 8.1% of all 1,71,418 suicides that year, with failure in examinations, academic pressure, familial expectations, social isolation, and lack of accessible counseling cited as the main reasons.
Although various government schemes, including Manodarpan and Tele-MANAS, provide tele-counseling and school-based mental health support, experts say a more scientific and collective approach is needed to effectively address the issue.
Professor Shamika Ravi, member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, in an interview with ThePrint Friday, raised concerns over the severe shortage of trained counsellors in schools.
“Most schools do not have counsellors at all, and where they do, the numbers are woefully small. We have too few counsellors who are registered counsellors in schools. We also need to look at the quality of counselling,” she said.
Professor Shamika Ravi added that there is a need to create human resources of dedicated, registered, and licenced counsellors so children have access and know they can speak to someone. “Teachers must support this, making it acceptable for students to seek help, while counsellors provide professional guidance throughout their education journey,” she said.
Educationist Meeta Sengupta described the situation as a “pandemic” that demands an urgent, crisis-like response.
“This is a time for deep reflection as a society. We need to reframe the question and ask ourselves where the mismanagement lies and why there is such a huge gap in accepting reality. Beyond that, there should be teacher training on neurodiversity among children and proper guidelines on counsellor-to-student ratios. One counsellor for 800 students is simply not enough,” she told ThePrint.
Currently, there are no government guidelines on how many counsellors schools are required to have per student.
Schools step up support for students, parents
According to officials in private schools in Delhi, multiple support systems are in place to address students’ mental health needs. Schools are providing counsellors, peer educators, and trained teachers at every level, creating an environment where students feel comfortable opening up.
At The Indian School, a zero period is dedicated to discussing various issues, and counselling is conducted with parents’ permission. Two counsellors are available during school hours, allowing students to approach them confidentially, say school authorities.
Tania Joshi, principal at The Indian School, said, “We have counsellors, peer educators, trained class teachers and subject teachers with whom students frequently open up. Counselling is conducted proactively with parents’ permission, and they are involved in the process.”
The school Friday held a workshop for teachers with counsellors to promote empathetic handling of students and maintaining discipline without humiliation, recognising that teachers themselves are also emotionally affected.
In Dwarka, ITL Public School has introduced a “buddy bench,” where peers provide immediate support to students in need. Parents are encouraged to send “handle with care” notes in diaries or messages to teachers to alert them if a child is emotionally vulnerable. “Even parents of Class 12 students send such messages, and on those days, teachers make sure to take special care of the child,” Sudha Acharya, Principal of ITL Public School, told ThePrint.
Mount Abu Public School is strengthening its mental health initiatives by organising regular faculty meetings and counselling sessions for parents of board students. “We are also organising counselling sessions for parents. The first session will be held for parents of Class 9 and 11 students on Saturday, and next week, it will be conducted for parents of Class 10 and 12 board students,” school principal Jyoti Arora told ThePrint.
Officials emphasised that supporting students’ mental well-being requires collective effort. While students spend 6–7 hours a day at school, they are at home for the rest of the day. Parents need to monitor behavioural changes and communicate with schools so that appropriate support can be provided.
“Supporting a child’s mental health is a collective responsibility. Parents also need to communicate and invest time in understanding their children. Too often, a lack of dialogue at home leaves children emotionally vulnerable,” Acharya said.
Student suicides: Experts call for more counsellors
Dr Mimansa Singh, a clinical psychologist at Fortis Healthcare’s Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, emphasised the urgent need for schools to address student mental health proactively. She highlighted that teachers often act as the first responders to a child’s distress.
“Every call for help, even what seems like attention-seeking, must be treated as a signal of emotional distress,” she told ThePrint, stressing the importance of training teachers to recognise warning signs, support students sensitively, and involve parents in the process.
Dr Singh also called for a broader cultural shift within schools. She advocated for zero tolerance toward bullying, regular mental health training, and the integration of peer-to-peer support programmes.
“Academic pressure cannot overshadow the urgent need for emotional safety. By embedding regular sensitisation programmes and creating awareness initiatives, schools can build safe environments that prevent crises before they escalate,” she said.
Professor Shamika Ravi emphasised that student mental health requires a collaborative approach involving children, parents, and communities. “Parents should not be left to fend for themselves. Communities must step up, creating support groups and public campaigns to ensure children receive guidance and care beyond the school system,” she said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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