Lok Sabha Question No. 670 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-24
Subject: Suicide Cases and Guidelines for NEET Exam
Ministry: Education
Asked by: T. R. Paarivendhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.670

ANSWERED ON 24/07/2023

## SUICIDE CASES AND GUIDELINES FOR NEET EXAM

## 670. DR. T.R. PAARIVENDHAR:

## Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  large  number  of  students  who  are  pursuing coaching for NEET from various coaching centres across the country are committing suicide in the recent past;

(b) whether the Government has any data about the number of students who committed suicide for the last 03 years;

(c) if so, the details of the action taken by the Government in this regard;

(d) whether the Government has any proposal to frame a standard guideline to run coaching centres/ institutions across the country to save the students from forced suicide;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (c)      Education being a concurrent list subject, Educational Institutions are managed by both Central  and  State  Government.  Majority  of  the  Educational  Institutions  in  the  country  falls  in  the purview  of  the  State  /  UT  Government.  The  number  of  suicide  cases  of  students  of  all  these institutions and various coaching centres including coaching centres for NEET across the country are not maintained. However, as per the Accidental Deaths & Suicide in India (ADSI), 2021, Report of National  Crime  Record  Bureau  (NCRB),  there  are  various  causes  of  suicides  like  professional  / Career problems, sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family problems, mental disorders etc.

(d)  to  (f)      National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  provides  for  counselling  systems  for  handling stress  and  emotional  adjustments  in  Institutions.  It  also  provisions  for  opportunities  for  students participation in sports, culture/arts clubs, eco-clubs, activity clubs, community service projects, etc. To address the issue  of  mental  health  and  well-being  during  and  after  COVID,  University  Grants Commission (UGC) had issued advisories to Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) on 05.04.2020.UGC  has  also  issued  Guidelines  for  Promotion  of  Physical  Fitness,  Sports,  Student's Health,  Welfare,  Psychological  and  Emotional  Well-  being  at  HEIs.    In  January  2023,  University Grants Commission (UGC), has circulated the National Suicide Prevention Strategy formulated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Ministry has undertaken various steps such as peer assisted learning, introduction of technical education in regional languages for students in order to

ease  the  academic  stress.  The  Government  of  India  initiative,  named  MANODARPAN,  covers  a wide range of activities to provide psychological support to students, teachers and families for mental and emotional well-being during the COVID outbreak and beyond. The Ministry has also advised the institutions to make the system more robust that would include prevention, detection and remedial measures for addressing possible cause of suicides.

The higher educational  institutions  take  various  steps  such  as  conducting  workshops/  seminars  on Happiness  and  Wellness,  regular  sessions  on  Yoga,  induction  programs,  extracurricular  activities including  sports  and  cultural  activities,  assigning  of  one  faculty  adviser  for  group  of  students  to support with their academics and monitor their progress, and appointment of Student Counselors for overall personality development and de-stressing students.

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