Increasing instances of suicides and attempt to suicide by school-going children is sought to be addressed by Karnataka Unaided Schools Management’s Association by constituting a study group.

Date: 22-Mar-2014

To

The Hon’ble Minister for Primary and High School Education
Government of Karnataka
Vidhana Soudha
Bangalore – 560 001

Copy to:

Principal Secretary
Primary and High School Education
Department of Education
Multi-Storied Building
Bangalore – 560 001
State of Karnataka

The Commissioner for Public Instruction
Primary and High School Education
Department of Education
Nrupatunga Road
Bangalore – 560 001
State of Karnataka

Sub: Increasing instances of suicides and attempt to suicide by school-going children is sought to be addressed by Karnataka Unaided Schools Management’s Association by constituting a study group. This study group would very much need copies of investigation reports accumulated by the Department of Education in respect of suicides of school-going children – for the past five years

Dear Sir
1. I write here on instruction from and for the benefit of Karnataka Unaided Schools Management’s Association (‘KUSMA’, for short), an association that represents the interests of more than 1800 private unaided schools in the State of Karnataka.

2. Instances of school-going children committing suicide is very much on the rise across the State of Karnataka and schools in the State are truly concerned about this worrisome trend.

3. Teachers in schools that are members of KUSMA have begun to openly express concern about news reports of children committing suicide after mild criticism or disapproval by their teachers. Thereby, a large body of teachers in private schools is considerably worried at not being able to anticipate the unintended consequences of even ordinary verbal disciplining of children. With the law in India on legal liability for suicide of another person remaining very uncertain, teachers and managements of private schools are greatly worried about not being able to navigate the challenges brought about by increasing suicides of school-going children. Therefore, KUSMA has resolved to constitute a study group comprising of competent professionals to devise practical guidelines for use by its members on ‘how to spot vulnerabilities in school-children and to manage such vulnerabilities in a careful manner’. For this task, KUSMA would require from the Department of Education, copies of investigation reports that the Department has collated on the subject of suicides of school-going children in the past five years.

4. The Department of Education has a real interest in addressing the suicide of any school-going child if only such suicide is related to any incident or conduct committed while that child was in school. Accordingly, the Department of Education invariably orders investigation in all such cases even when the criminal justice system and the police do not get involved. However, where the police are involved in a case of suicide of a school-going child, the Department of Education would still obtain administrative reports for its record. KUSMA would require copies of all such investigative reports that have been accumulated by the Department of Education for the purpose of enabling KUSMA’s own study-group to devise practical guidelines as aforesaid.

5. Standard textbooks or theories on child psychology are no substitute whatsoever to investigation reports in the custody of the Department of Education on real cases of suicides of school-going children in the State – when one sets out to learn about possible causes of such suicides. Such investigative reports would help KUSMA’s study group in a detailed understanding of what might have led to the actual suicides of school-going children and it is only such practical knowledge that could be of any use to the study group to guide teachers in private schools to spot vulnerabilities in young children.

6. Further, the investigation reports in the custody of the Department of Education are not, in any real sense, confidential or private and the Department may, if it chooses, redact or black-out any identifying information while providing KUSMA with copies of such investigation reports. KUSMA would ensure that its study group would leave out identifying information it has learnt from investigative reports provided by the Government while circulating its practical guidelines.

7. KUSMA would like to state that a significant section of teachers in member schools are of the informed and careful opinion that an increasing number of school-going children are becoming afflicted with depression and mental disorders without anybody in school or home noticing it in time. When mental disorders in young children go undiagnosed at home or school, the possibility of such children receiving much needed medical care or therapy would be drastically cut down. Suicidal behaviour or tendencies in a few school-going children may fully remain hidden to teachers unless teachers are provided with helpful guidelines on ‘how to spot such vulnerabilities’. Therefore, KUSMA has devised this study group and any publication by this study group would remain practically useless unless this study group receives the benefit of investigative reports that are in the custody of the Department of Education.

8. Further, in view of the fact that police investigation and criminal trials in Karnataka are not yet digitized, indexed or searchable electronically, one would be without any clue on obtaining police reports on cases of suicide of school-going children in the State. The Department of Education is the only recourse to KUSMA at this time.

9. Finally, KUSMA awaits copies of investigation reports that are in the custody of the Department of Education on the subject of suicides of school-going children in respect of the past five years. Further, in view of the fact that the members of KUSMA are spread out across the State of Karnataka, KUSMA would request the Department to not limit the information that it would provide to merely cases of suicides from urban areas or towns.

10. KUSMA would be immensely grateful to the Department for its timely release of information sought herein.

Sincerely


K.V.DHANANJAY

Advocate