Student suicides: National Task Force says there is no ‘foolproof’ way to prevent them, but calls for overhaul of campus support systems

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The National Task Force’s interim report found major gaps in the availability and the quality of counselling services across campuses of higher educational institutions. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The National Task Force (NTF) constituted by the Supreme Court to address mental health concerns among students and prevent suicides in higher educational institutions (HEIs), has called for wide-ranging reforms in campus support systems, mental health services, faculty recruitment, and scholarship disbursal, saying student well-being must become central to higher education governance.

In its interim report, the task force said there is no “foolproof mechanism” to prevent student suicides, but stressed that institutional restructuring, effective grievance redressal systems, faculty support, and accessible mental health services could significantly reduce student distress.

The report found major gaps in the availability and the quality of counselling services across campuses.

Data by the University Grants Commission (UGC) from 1,456 institutions showed that 27,136 individuals were reported as dedicated counsellors for nearly 59.8 lakh students. However, the task force observed that many institutions counted faculty members, placement coordinators, academic advisers, and Equal Opportunity Cell members as counsellors despite lacking formal mental health training.

Among 31 centrally-funded technical institutions surveyed by the Ministry of Education, only a handful reported having standard operating procedures for mental health emergencies, while none had postvention protocols to respond to student suicides. Explicit safeguards relating to privacy and confidentiality were reported by a very small proportion of these 31 institutions.

The task force recommended that all campuses provide student-friendly mental health services delivered by qualified professionals and establish clear confidentiality protocols. It also called for periodic anonymous feedback from students to a