Kusma forms study group to curb suicides by schoolchildren

The Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements’ Association (Kusma) has decided to form a study group to identify the causes that lead children to commit suicide and prevent them from taking the extreme step.

This comes in the wake of the increasing cases of suicide by schoolchildren, including two class X girls who took their lives by jumping into the Sankey Tank recently.

The association sent a letter to the Principal Secretary, Primary and Secondary Education and the Commissioner of Public Instruction, on Saturday, seeking information on past investigations conducted by the departments in such cases.

‘Teachers in schools that are members of Kusma have begun to openly express concern about news reports of children committing suicide after just a mild criticism or disapproval by their teachers,” the letter says.

Teachers, according to Kusma, are not able to anticipate children’s actions and are worried about the unintended consequences of even “ordinary verbal disciplining of children”.

The study group will comprise professionals who will work on devising practical guidelines for use by its members, on how to identify vulnerabilities in schoolchildren and to manage such vulnerabilities cautiously. 

K Anand, Director, Primary Education, Department of Public Instruction, said that investigations into cases of suicides were usually conducted by the police department, although the block education offices concerned also do compile preliminary reports.