Dr Anoop Singh
dranoop8998@gmail.com
As examination results are announced across India, the national conversation once again centres on percentages, ranks and success stories. What remains largely absent from public discourse is the emotional cost borne by students who struggle to meet these expectations. In an education system increasingly driven by performance metrics, mental well-being has been pushed to the sidelines – with devastating consequences.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), more than 13,000 students died by suicide in India in 2022, accounting for nearly 8 per cent of all suicides reported in the country. Academic pressure, fear of failure and examination-related stress were cited among the major contributing factors. These figures are not merely statistics; they reflect a systemic failure to protect young minds during their most vulnerable years.
The Pressure to Perform
For today’s students, examinations are no longer simple assessments of learning. They are treated as life-defining events. From an early age, children are conditioned to believe that a single result can determine their future, social status and self-worth. This belief, reinforced by competitive school environments, coaching culture and societal expectations, creates a climate of constant anxiety.
Peer pressure further compounds the problem. Students compare marks, ranks and career trajectories, often measuring their value against others. Social media amplifies this comparison by celebrating achievement while masking struggle. In such an environment, academic setbacks are internalised as personal failures rather than temporary challenges.
Parental expectations, though largely driven by concern and aspiration, can unintentionally intensify stress. Many students carry the weight of unfulfilled dreams that are not their own. The fear of disappointing parents or teachers often discourages open conversations about stress, anxiety or emotional exhaustion.
Competition and Mental Health
Competition, when balanced, can motivate excellence. However, the present academic ecosystem has transformed it into a relentless race. Long study hours, inadequate sleep, fear of underperformance and unrealistic benchmarks have led to a visible rise in anxiety and depression among students. Despite this, mental health support within educational institutions remains insufficient and inconsistent.
The period following the declaration of results is particularly critical. Students who do not meet expectations often face shame, silence or criticism instead of reassurance. Without emotional support or guidance, disappointment can escalate into despair.
Warning from Closer Home
Recent incidents from Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir offer a painful reminder that this crisis is not abstract. Following the declaration of examination results, the region witnessed tragic losses involving young students, including one from the Doda area and another from Thathri. These incidents deeply unsettled the local community and briefly reignited discussions around academic pressure and mental health.
Such tragedies must not be dismissed as isolated cases. They underscore a broader pattern in which students are left emotionally unprotected at moments of extreme vulnerability. The silence that follows these incidents is as concerning as the incidents themselves.
Redefining Success
India must urgently reconsider how it defines success. Academic achievement is important, but it cannot be the sole measure of intelligence, potential or human worth. Education should cultivate resilience, curiosity and confidence – not fear of failure.
Schools and colleges must integrate structured mental health support into their systems. Counsellors should be accessible, teachers trained to identify emotional distress, and classrooms transformed into spaces where seeking help is normalised rather than stigmatised. Mental health education should be embedded in curricula, not treated as an occasional seminar.
Parents also play a decisive role. Valuing effort over outcome, allowing room for failure and maintaining open, judgement-free communication can significantly reduce emotional distress. Students must be reminded – consistently – that setbacks do not define their future.
A Policy Imperative
The rising mental health crisis among students demands policy-level intervention, not just social sympathy. Educational boards and governments must establish mandatory counselling services in schools and colleges, regulate excessive academic pressure, and review evaluation systems that promote extreme competition. Teacher training programmes must include mental health literacy, and result announcements should be accompanied by structured support mechanisms.
Investment in student well-being is not an alternative to academic excellence; it is a prerequisite for it. When minds are protected, learning thrives. When mental health is neglected, even the brightest potential is lost.
It is time to place minds before marks and well-being before rankings. The true measure of an education system lies not in the number of toppers it produces, but in how many young lives it safeguards.
(The author is English Lecturer at BSK School, Domana, Jammu)
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