The Supreme Court of India, in a significant ruling, has attributed the rising number of student suicides, particularly in Kota, Rajasthan, to parental pressure rather than the coaching institutes themselves. The bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti, dismissed a petition seeking regulation of private coaching institutes and a law to prescribe their minimum standards.
The petition, filed by Mumbai-based doctor Aniruddha Narayan Malpani, blamed coaching institutes for driving students to the brink of death by treating them as commodities and exploiting them for profit. However, the Supreme Court bench pointed out that the real issue lies with the parents and not the coaching institutes. Justice Khanna remarked,
“Suicides are not happening because of the coaching institutes. They happen because the children cannot meet the expectations of their parents. The number of deaths could be much higher.”
The Court was conscious of the nearly 24 suicides reported this year in Kota, a hub for engineering and medical coaching for school-going children. The bench suggested that the petitioner either approach the Rajasthan High Court, as the incidents cited in the petition largely pertained to Kota, or move a representation to the Central government.
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The petition highlighted the grave human rights concern posed by student suicides and criticized the Centre’s lackadaisical attitude in enacting a law despite the rising number of suicides. It stated,
“An individual student has now become merely a product in the hands of the coaching institutes,”
pointing out that the coaching business in Kota has a market size of about ₹5,000 crore. The petition also emphasized the commercialization of education and the exploitation of students, particularly those from middle and lower-middle-class families.
Advocate Mohini Priya, representing the petitioner, highlighted that around 8.2% of students in the country die by suicide. The plea sought appropriate directions for regulating the conduct of private coaching institutes across India that train students for competitive exams like IIT-JEE and NEET.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain the plea underscores the complexity of the issue, highlighting the intense competition in education and the significant role of parental pressure in the mental health crisis among students. The ruling brings to the forefront the need for a broader societal and governmental response to address the underlying causes of student suicides.
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