Vulnerable students and India’s need for an inclusive academic system Premium

Creating a supportive environment wherein students thrive without fear of failure is most essential

Students invest immense efforts in securing admission to premier educational institutions. While many are able to turn their dreams into reality, others get left behind. There are times when both students who are unable to get admission and those who join these institutes take extreme steps. A victim’s mother once said, “I gave him an IIT dream.” Despite various preventive measures, students ending their lives is a tragic loss.

In 2024, around a dozen suicides were reported from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT); there have already been over 100 cases in the decade, 2014 to 2024. In 2025, there have been incidents reported from IIT Indore, IIT Kharagpur, and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and six cases of admission-seekers in Kota in Rajasthan, which is famous for its coaching institutes. According to the 2022 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, there were 13,044 student suicides in India, or 7.6% of all suicide cases. Among these, 2,095 were linked to examination failure.

These tragedies have sparked much concern. In 2023, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, called for a humanitarian approach, urging “all stakeholders to help students beat negative thinking and take study pressure in a positive way”. The Supreme Court of India has directed academicians to explore innovative out-of-the-box solutions. The Council of Indian Insititutes of Technology has proposed a slew of measures while the University Grants Commission (UGC) has included a representative of the vulnerable group in the Grievance Redressal Committee to effectively safeguard their interests.

In January 2025, the Supreme Court, addressing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the families of victims, directed the UGC to collate data on the establishment of Equal Opportunity Cells (EOCs), complaints received, and action taken reports from all universities, as per its 2012 regulations. Despite these interventions, the effectiveness of these measures remains questionable.

Academic stress and caste-based discrimination remain the primary causes of these tragedies. But there are several other factors. It is a misconception that this is an issue that concerns only academically weaker students. There are cases of high achievers, including an Olympiad winner, taking drastic measures. Additionally, students face societal pressure to “succeed”, along with the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) syndrome and constant comparison with peers. Setbacks and mental health struggles that young people experience are often stigmatised, while failure is viewed as a personal flaw. Institutional policies tend to be reactive rather than preventive, leaving students to chase unrealistic standards with little room for recovery or personal growth. This creates a cycle of isolation, despair, and hopelessness.

A Lancet Commission Report (2022) acknowledged that many of us experience some degree of mental ill health in our lifetime, but tackling stigma and discrimination is essential to changing the status quo. Stigma and discrimination in mental health not only violate basic human rights but also deepen marginalisation and social exclusion. To reduce stigma effectively, policies based on social contact should be prioritised, empowered, and supported to drive meaningful change.

So, are the measures-in-place counter-productive? Current prevention measures such as counselling, complaint handling, remedial classes, and reduced academic load have their limitations. This stems mainly from the unintended consequence of these measures which end up isolating these individuals in their time of need.