Matter of life and death

Barely months ago, the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why, caused a flutter with audiences across the globe for its unwavering take on how harassment and bullying in schools can lead to a student taking his/her own life. The theme that resonated with school-goers worldwide was highly appreciated for shedding light on a hitherto unexplored subject – albeit one that needed attention.

Closer home, and the disturbing trend hits harder than ever, with as many as 58 suicides committed by school and college students in Chennai, in 2017 alone. The reasons are aplenty: from teachers shaming the child in front of peers or indulging in corporal punishment, to problems between the parents driving youngsters to take the extreme step. While some of these incidents are blown out of proportion, many also go under the radar, due to the families not wishing to draw more attention to the issue or the educational institutions trying to cover them up.

“There are various factors – but it is mainly the societal pressure and superficial system that contribute the most towards suffocating the kids. There is an influx of ‘techno-schools’ today mushrooming everywhere – where the sole focus is on success or marks. Many of these places have no playgrounds or extra-curricular activities. For adolescents who are going through biological changes both physically and emotionally, it is imperative they have space to try new things, explore their own body, and discover their personality. But where is the time for them?” questions educationist Dr KR Maalathi.

She further says, “Even in schools where they hold so-called counseling programmes, they take place once a year merely as a routine. For all the talk of youth power in India, it is the youth that is getting neglected the most.”

How much responsibility falls on the school to ensure the well-being of a child’s mind? Chennai advocate E Ranganayaki has been fighting an ongoing battle with the government to mandate that every school should appoint full-time and trained counselors. “I filed a PIL on the issue, and though the court recommended the option to schools, the lack of trained professionals available does not make it feasible to implement. However, a long-term strategy can be planned, in order to make this possible,” says Ranganayaki, adding, 

“Most of the time, kids do not know how to handle fear – if parents instigated them to face small problems from an early age itself, then it helps them not bow down to pressure later on. But this is where counselors can come in and lend a friendly ear.”

How does the very concept of suicide permeate a teen’s mind in the first place? Andrew Sesuraj, State Convener, Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory (TNCRO), feels it is due to the overt exposure kids have today. “They watch the news, filled with reports of children succumbing to pressure, reality shows where failure is treated like the last resort, accounts of other suicides – all these lead to a discussion among them, and ideas grow. They start wondering: if they fail in any way, would they be ridiculed or humiliated?

Many of them are not taken seriously – they decide that death is the only way for their families to understand them properly.”

The child rights’ activist strongly urges that local playgrounds must be utilised to the optimum, in order for kids to build character. “They need to be encouraged to go out and play with freedom.

Similarly, schools should make it a practice to conduct games as often as possible – not just drills.

The point is, when they are addicted to mobile or video games, they do not play with others, and get used to winning from an early age. Children need to understand what it means to lose, and learn from it, so as to deal with realities later.” 

2017- 58 till date

S Ankita (name changed) was a sprightly youngster, one of the brightest in her class, recalls her mother, sadly. The 14-year-old, who was studying in a private institution, hanged herself after an altercation with her class teacher, during which she was ridiculed for her marks – following which she even faced bullying from her peers. “There was no reason for her to do this – we had such high hopes for her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t strong enough to handle the criticism and committed suicide. Though we have no solid proof, it is clear that she was harassed mentally. We heard that some children continued to mock her after the incident, and that really disturbed her for over a week. We wish she had opened up to us, we would have shifted schools for her peace of mind,” says her mother, who is trying really hard every day to move on from the incident. She feels that it would have helped the teen to have someone in the school to talk to. “If teachers were more friendly or accessible, students can feel free to approach them. But most kids live in constant fear of them – some even until they graduate. Corporal punishment also exists in many classrooms today. Until such institutions are inspected and taken note of, more such cases of students becoming depressed and resorting to drastic measures will always occur.”