Task force on student suicide prevention to submit interim report in Sept
The initiative aims to promote awareness, early intervention, and campus-wide well-being programmes, ensuring that emotional health gets the same priority as academics.
NEW DELHI: The National Task Force on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in higher education institutions will prepare its report by analysing data from ongoing online surveys, visiting institutions region-wise, particularly in areas with a history of more suicide incidents, and speaking to stakeholders engaged in suicide prevention work, former Supreme Court judge justice (retired) S Ravindra Bhat, who heads the task force, said on Friday.
The 18-member task force was established by the Supreme Court in March 2025 and has held four meetings to date. It is scheduled to submit its interim report by the end of September and a final report by the end of the year.
The task force is mandated to identify key causes of student suicides, review regulations for systemic gaps, and recommend measures to improve mental health and prevent such incidents.
At a Press conference after launching its website (ntf.education.gov.in) on Friday, the task force chairperson said, “While previous study groups had examined specific institutions and led to some corrective measures, the court felt the need for a comprehensive national picture of the issue among young people. The multidisciplinary task force includes experts from fields such as sociology, clinical psychology, community medicine, disability rights, women’s rights, and social activism to study the phenomenon from diverse perspectives.”
Explaining the three methods for preparing the report containing recommendations for government authorities and educational institutions, Bhat said, “Firstly, we intend to analyse the survey as part of our task. Secondly, we plan to conduct visits, purely as a sample, not a representative one as we are a large country with over 60,000 institutions. During our visits, we will try to cover regions and critical areas, not just large cities, but also smaller places with a history of more incidents. The third methodology involves talking to and interacting with diverse stakeholders, policymakers, and those who have worked in suicide prevention and related fields. We may also speak to people who have written reports in the past, so that we can learn from their insights. With all these learnings, we will prepare our findings and submit them to the court.”
Dr Seema Mehrotra, professor of clinical psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, said the online surveys aimed to gather inputs from students, parents, faculty, and mental health providers across all types of higher education institutions.
A separate survey has been designed for administrative heads of higher education institutions to collect factual data, observations, and suggestions, she said, adding that it covers student committees, complaints and resolutions, mental health services, challenges in supporting students, and the kind of assistance institutions need to strengthen student support.
She said the surveys hosted on the task force’s website cover themes such as campus environment, inclusivity, sources of support, nature of distress, existing student support mechanisms, and suggestions for improvement.
“We wish to receive inputs from all higher education stakeholders across India,” she said.
NIMHANS acted as an Institutional Review Board (IRB), which provided ethics clearance for the questionnaires in the surveys.
Arman Ali, executive director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People and task force member, said the panel visited several institutions, interacting with students, faculty, and staff, and reviewing teaching, recreational, and mental health support infrastructure. He stated that the task force has identified issues on both the students’ and institutions’ sides, and noted that the interim report, due in September, will reflect these findings.
According to the minutes of the fourth meeting of the task force, held on May 24, a pilot visit was conducted at Ramjas College and Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, as well as at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Bangalore Medical College (BMC) in Bangalore.
“While there were challenges (due to coinciding with examinations), valuable insights were obtained as the draft student questionnaire could be tested and answers were found to be viable, and interactions with small groups of faculty and students, and visiting facilities on student welfare could be undertaken. This will be the basis for conducting further field visits,” said the minutes of the meeting.
Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, who serves as the member secretary of the task force, stated that the Department of Higher Education (DoHE) is its nodal agency. With over 60,000 higher education institutions in India, identifying the causes of student suicides and recommending solutions is a “major concern” and an “extremely challenging task,” he said.
As per the last National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, 13,044 students died by suicide in 2022, surpassing the figure for many other groups, like farmer suicides or suicides among unemployed persons. Students’ suicides contribute to 7.6% of the total 170,924 deaths by suicide in the country.
“The DoHE is committed completely to ensure that not a single life is lost and that we create an environment in the country in which everybody, every student, is able to come up to his or her own expectations, he or she is able to achieve his or her dreams,” he said.
Dr Satendra Singh, a renowned disability rights activist and a professor at University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), New Delhi said the launch of a dedicated website, email, questionnaires for students, faculty, and parents along with the publication of minutes from previous meetings in accessible formats, reflects the seriousness and commitment of this task force. “The IRB ethics approval for the mixed-method questionnaire is a rare but welcome initiative that should set a precedent,” he said.
