Even as schools and colleges begin reopening across the country, teachers and educationists are faced not just with the academic challenges of educational institutions having remained shut for over a year, but mental health challenges as well. The lack of access to friend groups, the complete digital mode of learning and the various lockdowns have affected the mental health of our young people. Competitive exams have added to pressure and anxiety -- recently, Tamil Nadu saw a number of young students who died by suicide following the medical admission exam, NEET. India has the highest rate of suicide in SouthEast Asia, and in 2019 alone, over 8,000 children between the ages of 14 and 18 died of suicide as per National Crime Records Bureau data.What can schools, colleges and policy-makers do to tackle this?
Guest: Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder, Sneha, a suicide prevention organisation based in Chennai
Host: Zubeda Hamid
