Calls for ‘mentally healthy schools’ grow after Delhi student suicide, parents demand government takeover

Experts highlight a growing trend of suicidality among schoolchildren, pointing out that India accounts for “one-third of the global suicide burden, and suicide is now the leading cause of death among youth aged 15-29”.But Kirpal, who is also the co-author of the book ‘Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing and Wholeness’, urged all stakeholders, including the media, to go beyond reporting the graphic details of individual incidents.She stressed that the priority must be to address “systemic gaps in preparedness, mental health support, and institutional response”.One of her key suggestions: a legislation mandating “mentally healthy schools” — evaluated on standardised criteria for staffing, training, resourcing, and policy.”There are global initiatives known as ‘mentally healthy schools’, which assess whether a school meets key standards across areas such as staff training, counsellor availability, and resource allocation to qualify as a mentally healthy institution.”Currently, our school system faces a significant policy and implementation deficit, with too few counsellors, inadequate training, limited budgets, and an absence of structured mental health frameworks,” explained Kirpal, pushing for changes that support not only students, but teachers’ mental health as well.Adding to this, clinical psychologist Jayanti Dutta highlighted the hostile environment many students face, where teachers, themselves under pressure, often fail to address bullying or harassment.“All these schools have counsellors and clinical psychologists but they often don’t intervene. Most teachers don’t bother… They’re under pressure and have no time. Administrations, too, ignore what is happening with the teachers, creating a very bad atmosphere in these schools,” she observed.Dutta warned that children often cannot confide in even their parents, leading to a loss of trust in adults — a factor she described as “the most damaging” in a child’s mental health journey.Frustrated with a system that leaves children and their parents to bear the brunt, Aparajitha Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents’ Association, did not mince words in holding schools directly accountable.She pointed to the “deep-rooted failures” within schools, describing them as “commercialised, insensitive, and defensive”.“I know for a fact that in these schools, children’s complaints often go unheard, with principals sometimes dismissing concerns by blaming the child. Many such schools maintain counsellors only on paper, while anti-bullying committees and PTAs remain largely hidden or inactive,” she said.Gautam called for criminal action against school managements, immediate cancellation of school recognition, and government takeover, warning that without strict laws and enforcement, little will change.“If schools know that ignoring complaints or harassing children could result in licence cancellation, things will improve,” she added.In the case of the Delhi boy’s suicide, four staff members of St Columba’s School, including the headmistress, have been suspended after an FIR was filed in connection with the alleged mental harassment of the Class-10 student.



Source link