Worry Over 9 Students Ending Life in Six Months in Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati: The Parents’ Association of Andhra Pradesh has raised concern over the rise in student suicides across the state.

The association passed an emergency resolution urging the government to act without delay, and submitted this to the chief minister after a round-table meeting in Nellore on Friday.

The association said nine students in Nellore district have died by suicide in the past six months, seven of them inside hostels or in the college premises. The association described the trend as a sign of a deeper crisis in the education system. It criticised the government for failing to release a white paper on student deaths, despite repeated appeals.

Referring to a Supreme Court verdict on July 25, the association noted that the court recognised mental health as part of the right to life under Article 21 and issued 15 binding guidelines. These include mental-health policies, campus counseling systems, safety standards and mandatory registration of private coaching centres.

Although the court directed the state to implement these guidelines by October 2025, the government did little beyond announcing a committee, the association said and warned that it may file a contempt petition in court if the directives are not enforced immediately.

Association president Shikharam Narahari said the round-table framed five urgent demands, including fixing institutional responsibility and offering an unconditional apology and compensation to families of students who died by suicide, enforcing a ‘Safety and Counselling Mandate’ providing qualified counsellors, a 24×7 helpline and compulsory CCTV in hostels, appointing a retired high court judge to lead an impartial inquiry, introducing compulsory career counseling and parent-awareness workshops, and banning unethical statements that blame deceased students, with FIRs against institutions that make such claims.

The association said educational institutions should not function as centres to help students get ranks. It urged the chief minister to release a white paper and implement the SC guidelines without delay.

The meeting was chaired by Ravuri Ramesh Babu and attended by Dr Sunitha of Vikrama Simhapuri University, psychiatrist Srinivasa Teja, G Dayakar and others.