From Kota to Kerala: NEET pressure and the rising tide of student suicides in India

India, which reportedly records the highest number of suicides globally, witnessed around 14,000 student suicides in 2023 alone—more than farmers, often considered among the most vulnerable sections of society. When attempted suicides and unreported cases are taken into account, the figure rises significantly. Increasingly, students—once described as the country’s future—are emerging as one of its most vulnerable populations.

As yet another NEET season unfolds amid controversies, including exam cancellations and administrative confusion, the deaths of students each year fade once again into obscurity. Amid the uproar surrounding an examination taken by over 22 lakh candidates and reportedly disrupted in several centres, at least 18 students have already died by suicide. It is within these unreported tragedies—often reduced to fleeting headlines—that the deeper inequalities and systemic pressures behind entrance examinations such as NEET begin to surface.

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Suicide Fortresses

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has previously observed that India’s entrance examination system and coaching culture foster an extreme form of meritocracy—the belief that only the most ‘talented’ deserve to survive. He cited Kota in Rajasthan as a stark example: a district widely regarded as the “suicide capital” for students arriving from across the country for coaching. Each year, an estimated 40 to 50 students reportedly die by suicide there, driven by fear of failure and despair.

Kota’s reality is no longer confined to a single city; it has become symbolic of a nationwide phenomenon. As of 2024, India’s entrance coaching industry is estimated to be worth ₹54,000 crore. Parents spend lakhs of rupees on coaching, with additional expenses for accommodation, food, and study materials. The darker side of this vast industry is reflected in the rising number of student deaths. Yet despite tens of thousands of suicides over the years, each case continues to be treated as an isolated incident.

In April 2025, Rajya Sabha MP Jose K. Mani raised the issue of student suicides in Parliament. While it was a rare policy-level intervention, the Union Minister of State for Education, in a written reply, did not identify specific education-related causes. Instead, the response broadly cited multiple factors contributing to suicide and noted that education is a concurrent subject involving both state and central governments—implicitly acknowledging the deep link between education systems and student distress.

Successive governments have shown limited engagement with the growing number of student suicides. These tragedies are often treated as isolated incidents or reduced to issues of individual mental health. In doing so, the role of systemic pressures and environmental factors in shaping mental health is frequently overlooked.

Fiery Furnaces of Stress

In a case concerning the suicide of a NEET aspirant in Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court recently described private coaching institutions as “death chambers”.

Despite such stark observations, the intense pressure faced by students preparing for competitive examinations remains widely underappreciated. Kota stands as a symbol of this reality. Although terms such as “Kota suicides” and “coaching factories” have become part of public discourse, the annual influx of students shows no sign of decline. Authorities often treat this as a localised issue, rather than recognising it as a nationwide crisis.

Coaching and Kerala

In Kerala, where aspirations for medical and engineering careers are often regarded as a defining educational goal, entrance coaching has expanded rapidly in recent years. What was once limited to weekend classes has now evolved into a sprawling industry, increasingly overshadowing the mainstream education system.

With this shift, academic pressure on students has intensified significantly. Reports suggest that the student suicide rate in Kerala has increased by nearly 50 per cent over the last two years. Legislative records and media reports indicate that approximately 53 students died by suicide in Kozhikode district alone during 2022–23. Yet, as elsewhere, these figures rarely generate sustained public debate, despite Kerala’s otherwise active engagement with educational issues.

Many student suicides appear to be the tragic outcome of a social mindset that ties an individual’s entire future to a single examination result. Suicide notes left behind by students who felt unable to meet expectations—often after significant financial sacrifices by families—reflect a system under severe strain. More broadly, this system reinforces inequality by privileging those who can afford extensive coaching while marginalising those who cannot.

As the Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci once noted, injustice often remains as a memory until it is collectively recognised and challenged. One day, it may become history. In the context of India’s education system, one can only hope that such a moment arrives sooner rather than later.

(The author is a faculty member at Loyola College, Thiruvananthapuram.)