Reports of intermediate school results are coming from different states of the country. This morning a young boy from Uttar Pradesh topped the state, who comes from a very normal family background. Amid such news reports of students killing themselves are also coming up from the state of Andhra Pradesh.
In the past 48 hours, as many as 11 students have committed suicide following the declaration of their intermediate school results. All these students were stressed by their poor performance in the examinations.
According to the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education, 10 lakh students appeared in the intermediate examination this year. In class 11 as many as 61 per cent of students cleared the exam and in class 12 the percentage of students passing the exams remained 72.
Those losing their lives are teens aged between 16 to 17 years. Some of them killed themselves by hanging from the ceiling while others jumped into the water. Those committed suicide include:
A 17-year-old intermediate first-year student Jagannatham Vani committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan in her hostel room in Vijayawada. B Tarun Dandu (age 17) committed suicide by jumping in front of a running train near Tekkali in Srikakulam district. Tarun Dandu was a resident of Gopalapuram village.
A 16-year-old girl committed suicide at her home in Trinadpuram under Malakapuram police station limits. She hails from Visakhapatnam district. Another girl, Akhilshree who was in the intermediate first year which is the 11th standard, committed suicide in Visakhapatnam.
An 18-year-old B Jagadeesh hanged himself at his house in the Kancharpalam area of Visakhapatnam. Another 17-year-old student Tulaso Tharun ended his life by hanging in Visakhapatnam.
A 17-year-old girl named Anusha committed suicide by jumping into a lake in Chittoor district. Another 17-year-old student T Kiran committed suicide by hanging himself at his house in Anakapalli.
Similarly, 17-year-old Mahesh in Hanakanahal of Anantapur district and 16-year-old Shaik Jaan Saida of Nandigama died by suicide by hanging.
At the time of results, the news portals are filled with victorious students. Those failing to meet the expectations of their family or their teachers are left alone.
The Chairperson for the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo told Organiser that, parllel to the Prime Minister’s ‘pariksha pe charcha’ they also organise a ‘Pariksha Parv’ in different states of the country. Seminars and events are organised for parents, students as well as teachers across the districts on how they should deal with the problem.
For the raising number of deaths in Andhra Pradesh, Kanoongo said, “What is happening in Andhra Pradesh is slightly different. The unauthorised coachings are responsible for such incidents.”
“These coachings have declared themselves as schools and put a lot of pressure on the students. They run for 14 to 15 hours and are simply exploiting the young minds” he said.
Kanoongo held the state government responsible for the successive deaths reported in past 48 hours.
He added, there is a helpline available 24/7 called ‘Samvedna’ (Sensitizing Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) , the number is 2830. This service is exclusively for children who are willing to talk and are in need of counseling.
Whenever a minor is hurt or tries to hurt or kill the family can call to the childline 1098.
Childline 1098 is a phone number that spells hope for millions of children across India. It is a 24-hour a-day, 365 days a year, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance. They not only respond to the emergency needs of children but also link them to relevant services for their long-term care and rehabilitation.
