In the light of recent suicides by school students, Karnataka Unaided Schools Management’s Association (KUSMA) has decided to constitute a study group to devise guidelines on how member schools can spot vulnerabilities in schoolchildren and manage them in a careful manner.
In a letter to the Primary and Secondary Education Department, KUSMA has said that instances of schoolchildren committing suicide are on the rise.
The letter also said that teachers were worried after reading reports of children committing suicide following criticism or disapproval by their teachers.
“Many teachers in private schools are worried at not being able to anticipate the unintended consequences of even verbal disciplining of children,” the report stated.
With the law in India not clear on legal liability for suicide of another person, teachers and managements of private schools were worried about being unable to address the issue, according to the report.
The association requested the Department of Primary and Secondary Education to provide copies of investigation reports over the past five years so that it could spot vulnerabilities in young children.
The association also said that even though suicides are a part of police investigation, they have not been digitised/indexed yet. It has sought assistance from the department for the same.
However, Mohammad Mohsin, Commissioner of Public Instruction, said the department did not have data on investigations on the issue and said that the association would have to approach the Police Department to obtain records.
