Opinion Tackling the ‘left-behind syndrome’: Student suicides cannot be addressed without talking about young people’s isolation
Suicide rates may be reduced if no student feels left out. Prioritising inclusion and support is the key to suicide prevention
Despite efforts to improve the mental health of students and prevent suicides, premier institutes still witness tragic losses. (Representational/Pixabay)
Saving every life is paramount; the “left-behind syndrome” should not claim any more lives. The anguished cry of a mother who lost her son — “I gave him an IIT dream” — echoes the need for a change. While the IIT dream transforms many into millionaires, it leaves several behind. Despite efforts to improve the mental health of students and prevent suicides, premier institutes still witness tragic losses.
Data presented in the Lok Sabha on July 26 by the Ministry of Education categorically highlights the alarming issue of student suicides in India’s premier institutes offering professional degree courses. From 2019 to part of 2023, the statistics on deaths by suicide revealed that there were 31(17) in IITs, 22(13) in NITs, 13(7) in AIIMS, 3 (1) in IIMs, 2 (2) in IIITs, 2 (0) in IISERs, and 2 (2) in SPAs. The numbers in parentheses represent students from SC, ST, OBC, and minority communities.
Consider a few recent incidents of students from marginalised sections: Faizan Ahmad (Kharagpur), Mahesh Sai Raj (Guwahati), Darshan Solanki (Bombay), Ayush Ashna (Delhi), and Anil Kumar (Delhi). Ahmad, a third-year student, complained about ragging before his death, which is now under investigation. Sai Raj, in his third year, faced termination and couldn’t confront his parents. In his first year, Solanki faced academic difficulties. Ayush and Anil had a backlog while their peers moved on. Despite having standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling complaints, academic probation, mental well-being and counselling, these incidents indicate that procedures need to be appended with more effective intervention.
Recently, the IITs announced various interventions to address the growing number of suicides. Measures including a no-branch change policy, curricula and exam reforms, informal faculty-student interactions, and engagement with parents have been introduced to combat academic stress. To combat caste-based discrimination, queries related to students’ categories, like asking their JEE rank, will now result in penal action. The UGC has revised its Grievance Redressal Regulations, making it mandatory to include a member from a marginalised background in such committees. Despite continuous grievance mitigation efforts, occurrences of suicides indicate that adhering to the rulebook alone may not be effective. Notably, IIT Delhi established an SC/ST cell in March 2023. While no complaints were registered, tragically, two SC students took their lives during this period.
The death of a student after the completion of four years of study in July 2023 has sent shockwaves across the country. Following this, President Droupadi Murmu has called for a humanitarian approach. The Supreme Court has directed authorities to explore innovative out-of-the-box solutions to address the persistent issue. In this article, the author primarily addresses two dimensions: Reducing academic stress and handling caste-based discrimination.
When addressing academic stress, it is essential to recognise that reducing academic rigour has pros and cons. While it may alleviate stress, it may also impact IITs’ global competitiveness and reputation. A potential “out-of-the-box” solution lies in establishing a flexible assessment system. The same scale is not fit for all. Not all students display the same calibre or interest in every part of the whole curriculum. A flexible assessment system will help students at all levels without granting them a free grade. Academic institutions enjoy sufficient autonomy to implement such flexibility. Early identification of students who are struggling academically could enable the implementation of a flexible and tailored assessment plan. Flexible accommodations for students will undoubtedly require additional effort from the instructional team. This approach demands more time, attention, and resources, acknowledging the trade-offs involved. But this is possible, as demonstrated by the author, who has successfully implemented flexible assessment throughout his quarter-century teaching experience at premier institutes. He designs tiny, medium, and large assignments of varying difficulty. The goal is to support more vulnerable students by considering their capabilities. In addition to boosting student confidence, this approach has ensured that no student is left behind.
Most combative measures against caste-based discrimination rely on complaints. This approach has inherent flaws. Complaints may result in no action or punitive measures, yielding no positive outcomes. The fear of repercussions is worse. It may prevent victims from filing complaints. Faizan’s case exemplifies this; as the complainant, he endured silently. This indicates how the complaint-driven mechanism may inadvertently perpetuate the sufferings of victims. This may explain the lack of complaints filed at IIT Delhi’s SC/ST cell.
A typical pattern behind the reported suicides is the victim’s alienation. Upon recognising this, it becomes clear that the most effective prevention strategy is to keep students integrated within the mainstream. Victims mustn’t feel alienated due to stigma or fear. Suicide rates may be reduced if no student feels left out. What truly matters is that someone cares for them and socialises with them. Prioritising inclusion and support is the key to suicide prevention rather than measures that may inadvertently push students further into isolation.
The writer is a Computer Science professor at JNU and was previously a professor at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur and BITS Pilani
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