The tragic loss of at least 20 young lives to suicide following the publication of this year’s SSC and HSC examination results -- including nine deaths within just ten days of the recent HSC announcement -- is a devastating indictment of our society.
Worse still, given the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health and self-harm across the country, these reported figures likely represent only a fraction of the true toll.
When teenagers choose to end their lives over academic scores, it exposes a profound moral and institutional collapse. That we live in a society where exam grades are treated as the sole determinant of human worth is a horrifying reality.
For decades, parents, educators, and communities have conditioned students to believe that falling short of a coveted GPA-5 or failing a board examination equates to absolute ruin. The relentless cycle of parental comparisons, social humiliation, and rigid academic expectations leaves vulnerable young minds isolated and terrified of disappointing their families.
When an examination hall becomes a matter of life and death, the entire pedagogical and social framework has fundamentally broken down. No board certificate is worth a single child's life, yet our culture continues to weaponize academic performance against the emotional well-being of our children.
This crisis demands immediate, structural intervention from both the state and society. We need accessible, confidential psychological counseling services in our educational institutions -- not as a formality, but as an active support network operating before and after exam seasons. Simultaneously, we must also expand emergency crisis helplines and train teachers to recognize early signs of acute distress and isolation.
Beyond policy, families must replace interrogation and shame with empathy and understanding, reassuring their children that academic setbacks are temporary obstacles, not life sentences.
If we continue to prioritize grades over emotional survival, these preventable tragedies will remain an annual stain on our national conscience. We must act now to protect our youth before another promising life is lost to despair.
