SC Imposes Segregation Ban On Basis Of Marks In Schools, Coaching Centers For Stopping Suicides Of Students

The Supreme Court on Friday issued far-reaching country-wide guidelines seeking mental protection and regulatory control over all schools. The government has moved after a gruesome spate of suicides by students, which the Court has called "systemic failure which cannot be ignored." Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta's direction will extend to all educational institutions — schools, colleges, universities, coaching institutes, training institutes, and hostels. Exercising powers under Articles 32 and 141 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court ordered these guidelines to be followed as law until legislation again.

The order came after a tragic incident of a July 2023 suicide of a 17-year-old NEET exam aspirant, who took her own life in preparing for medical entrance exams at Aakash Byju's Institute in Visakhapatnam. On a petition by her father, the Supreme Court ordered the probe to be handed over to the CBI in overruling an earlier refusal by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Increasing anxiety among youth

The Court pointed out that more turmoil in India's youth is an ongoing, intrinsic issue in the country's education system. Based on the figures communicated by the National Crime Records Bureau, it averred that India had 1,70,924 suicides in 2022, 7.6% of which — i.e., around 13,044 deaths — were students. In excess of 2,200 were due to examination performance alone.

In an attempt to respond to the growing issue of children's mental health, the Supreme Court has issued a series of national guidelines through government programs like UMMEED, MANODARPAN, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The guidelines are standard and are to be implemented by each school and are marked by the following key steps: 

Mental Health Professionals: The Recommendations

Institutions having more than 100 students have to appoint at least one professionally qualified mental health worker like a psychologist, counsellor, or social worker. The smaller institutions have to have adequate referral facilities with outside specialists.

Suicide Prevention Helplines: Very conspicuous exhibition of helpline numbers like Tele-MANAS, through which the students can get directly linked.

No Segregation of Scholars: The schools and coaching institutions shall not segregate the students on the basis of performance, humiliate them publicly, or inculcate violent study habits.

Forced Staff Training: All the staff and faculty members are to be provided with psychological first-aid and referral training at least bi-annually. Sensitivity training for the management of SC, ST, OBC, EWS, LGBTQ+ group members, disabled and ex-trauma students is compulsory.

Secure Infrastructure: Institutions should have tamper-free ceiling fans and restrict access to the roof top and balcony in order not to facilitate spontaneous suicide attempts.

Grievance Redressal & Support Systems: Institutions should have confidential redressal processes for sexual harassment, ragging, or caste, gender, or religious discrimination. Such victims should be offered immediate psychosocial counseling.

Balanced Student Development: Institutions and schools can help decrease test anxiety by reframing success, encouraging extra-classroom activities, and interest- and aspiration-based career counseling.

Coaching centers in the country's big cities such as Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Mumbai—well known throughout the world for their extremely competitive study culture—have been marked by concern priority to student well-being psychology and improved preventive infrastructure.