Three Tragedies Reveal a Growing Crisis in Student Wellbeing

By Manisha Sahu | America News World
Published: 24,2025

India is confronting a silent but intensifying crisis—one unfolding not on the streets or in political corridors, but inside classrooms, homes, and the fragile emotional landscapes of children. Over the past few weeks, three separate tragedies involving school and college students have shocked the country, revealing the growing psychological strain young people are grappling with. These incidents, though separated by geography, reflect interconnected systemic failures within the education environment, the social fabric, and the broader cultural expectations placed on children.

India’s education system is showing deep fractures — visible in classrooms, strained teacher-student dynamics, anxious parents, and the delicate self-worth of children who grow up believing that simply being themselves is never enough.

Three Lives Lost, One Disturbing Pattern

The first blow came from Delhi, where a Class X student died by suicide after reportedly enduring constant public humiliation from his teachers. According to schoolmates and family accounts, the boy had been repeatedly singled out, reprimanded, and berated in front of peers. His parents later revealed that he had begun showing signs of withdrawal and anxiety but had been too afraid to articulate the full extent of what he was suffering.

Only days later, Mumbai’s Kalyan district reported another heart-wrenching case. This time, it was a 19-year-old first-year college student who ended his life after experiencing a violent and humiliating ordeal on a suburban train. The student, who had spoken Hindi during a commute, was allegedly assaulted by a group of passengers demanding he speak Marathi. Traumatized and overwhelmed, he returned home, telephoned his father to recount the assault, and expressed the shame he felt. Before his family could respond, he died by suicide.

The third tragedy had occurred weeks earlier in Jaipur, where a nine-year-old Class IV student jumped to her death. Her family reported that she believed a teacher had been consistently picking on her, scolding her for mistakes she did not commit. In the mind of a young child, that repeated criticism—perceived as unjust and relentless—became unbearable.

Three different cities. Three different age groups. But one unmistakable theme: children and teenagers feeling cornered, shamed, unheard, and emotionally overwhelmed.

A System Under Pressure

These incidents have sparked a national conversation about the state of children’s emotional well-being in India. Educators and psychologists insist that while academic competition has always been a hallmark of Indian schooling, the current pressures have intensified beyond healthy limits.

Classrooms have become battlegrounds of comparison and performance metrics. Teachers, overburdened and under-supported, sometimes resort to punitive and public disciplinary practices. Students internalize these experiences deeply, often associating their self-worth with test scores, rankings, and the approval of authority figures.

At the same time, parents, driven by their own anxieties about an uncertain economic future, can unknowingly amplify the pressure. The desire to secure a “good future” for their children often translates into rigid expectations, constant monitoring, and limited space for emotional vulnerability.

The Digital World: A Double-Edged Sword

Adding another layer to the crisis is the digital world. While devices and online tools have expanded access to information, they have also introduced new anxieties. Social media platforms expose children to unrealistic comparisons, cyberbullying, academic competition outside the classroom, and a perpetual sense of falling short.

Even younger children are not immune. The nine-year-old from Jaipur had access to online content that reportedly reinforced unrealistic standards of behavior and achievement. For teenagers, constant digital activity creates sleep deprivation, distraction, anxiety, and a distorted sense of self-worth.

Experts argue that digital overload has made disconnecting nearly impossible. Children today are navigating two worlds simultaneously—one physical, one virtual—both filled with pressures and expectations.

Shrinking Emotional Support Systems

Perhaps the most troubling piece of the puzzle is the shrinking availability of emotional support. While previous generations of students were embedded in extended family networks or neighborhood communities, today’s children often grow up in isolated nuclear families.

Busy parents juggling long work hours may unintentionally miss early warning signs. Teachers, who spend significant time with students, often lack training in mental health awareness or trauma-sensitive teaching methods. School counselors—where they exist—are overstretched, and many institutions still view mental health intervention as secondary rather than essential.

The result is a generation of children who feel alone even when surrounded by people.

The Cultural Weight of Shame

A deeper cultural theme also emerges from these stories: the crippling impact of shame. Across India, children learn early that mistakes come at the cost of punishment, humiliation, or ridicule. Whether it is a schoolteacher scolding a student in front of a class or strangers policing language on a train, the message children absorb is that deviation from expectations invites shame.

For adults, such incidents may be processed rationally. But for children and teenagers, whose emotional regulation skills are not fully developed, shame can feel catastrophic—an inescapable indictment of their entire identity.

What Needs to Change

Each of these tragedies is a reminder that reforms cannot be delayed. India urgently needs a structured, multi-layered plan to safeguard the emotional well-being of its young population.

1. Mental Health Integration in Schools

School systems must prioritize mental health the same way they prioritize academics. Mandatory training for teachers, confidential counseling services, peer support programs, and regular emotional wellness sessions should be part of every school’s framework.

2. Shift from Punitive to Compassionate Teaching
A culture that normalizes public reprimand must be dismantled. Teachers need practical training in alternative disciplinary approaches and trauma-informed teaching.

3. Parental Awareness and Engagement

Parents must recognize emotional distress as seriously as academic performance. Open communication, patient listening, and reducing unrealistic expectations can transform home environments.

4. Digital Literacy and Regulation

Guidelines on healthy digital habits, cyberbullying awareness, and screen time limitations are crucial. Schools and parents should collaborate on fostering safe and balanced digital use.

5. Community Support Systems
Local communities, NGOs, and mental health organizations must actively participate in outreach programs, helplines, and workshops.

A Wake-Up Call We Cannot Ignore

The deaths of these three young individuals are not isolated incidents—they are warnings. They reflect the mounting emotional burden children carry in a rapidly changing society. Unless India confronts this crisis with urgency, empathy, and structural reforms, more young lives may quietly slip through the cracks.

Children are not just students or future workers—they are individuals with vulnerabilities, dreams, and emotional needs. Recognizing and protecting their mental well-being is not merely an act of compassion; it is a national responsibility.