Mental Health In Education: Supreme Court Forms National Task Force To Tackle Student Suicides

New Delhi: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has directed the formation of a National Task Force (NTF) to tackle the growing concern of student suicides in higher educational institutions. The Top Court's move has come up in response to a petition filed by the parents of two IIT Delhi students who allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination and academic pressure. The Apex Court, while hearing the petition, observed that universities are not just centres of learning but also institutions responsible for the well-being and widespread development of their students. 

The court asserted that every institution must have a culture of sensitivity and proactive intervention to ensure students feel safe, supported, and empowered to pursue their aspirations without fear or discrimination. It also observed that the recurring instances of student suicides serve as a grim reminder of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework in addressing mental health concerns. 

The court noted, “The recurring instances of student suicides in Higher Educational Institutions, including private educational institutions, serve as a grim reminder of the inadequacy and ineffectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework in addressing mental health concerns of students on campuses and to prevent the students from taking the extreme step of committing suicides. These tragedies underscore the urgent need for a more robust, comprehensive, and responsive mechanism to address the various factors which compel certain students to resort to taking their own lives. In light of the concerns expressed above, a National Task Force to address the mental health concerns of students and prevent the commission of suicides in Higher Educational Institutions is being constituted.”

Composition Of National Task Force

According to a report by Live Law, the National Task Force will be chaired by former Supreme Court judge, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, and will comprise nine other members, including experts in psychiatry, psychology, education, and social welfare. The Task Force has been directed to present an interim report within four months and a final report within eight months.

The task force has been mandated to identify the causes behind student suicides, review existing policies related to student welfare and mental health, and recommend legal reforms to strengthen protections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and other relevant laws. The Task Force will also conduct surprise inspections in universities to assess student support mechanisms and develop a national action plan for the mandatory inclusion of mental health services in higher educational institutions.

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Implementation And Funding

The court has directed the chief secretaries of all States/Union Territories to nominate a high-ranking officer to act as the nodal officer for the task force. The central government, state governments, and universities have been directed to extend full cooperation to the Task Force. An amount of Rs 20 lakhs has been allocated for the initial operations of the task force.

Recommendations and Directives

The Court has directed the Task Force to present an interim report within four months and a final report within eight months. The comprehensive report will include:

• Identifying Causes: Identifying causes behind student suicides, including ragging, caste-based or gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, academic pressure, financial stress, and discrimination based on tribal identity, sexual orientation, political views, etc.
• Policy Review: Reviewing existing policies related to student welfare and mental health.
• Legal Reforms: Recommending legal reforms to strengthen protections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and other relevant laws.
• Surprise Inspections: Conducting surprise inspections in universities to assess student support mechanisms.
• National Action Plan: Developing a national action plan for the mandatory inclusion of mental health services in higher educational institutions.