Nineteen students in Telangana have taken their own lives after the release of state examination results on April 18.
What We Know:
- Akrapu Mithi hanged herself at home after being depressed from the announcement of state exam results. She is one of many students who killed themselves after failing a college admissions exam.
- Several parents believe errors were made in the evaluation of the matriculation exam and have protested against the scores. Some students said they showed up for the test, but were marked absent while thousands of other students simply failed the exam due to receiving a score of zero on sections that they completed. The exam is important because the scores typically determine what university a student will attend.
- Students who did well on exams in previous years, failed this particular one which raised suspicion. Parents placed blame on the state Board of Intermediate Education and the Telangana government. The board used software from Globarena Technologies to score the exams, which parents think led to mistakes in scoring the exam.
- After this backlash, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao ordered the free re-counting of the answer sheets for students who failed the exam.
- The marking software was found to be faulty and graded students incorrectly, according to The Telegraph.
- Indian students are under a lot of pressure and have a high rate of death by suicide, according to the National Crime Record Bureau.
This incident opens up a discussion about the relationship between standardized testing and mental health. Are we putting too much pressure on our students?
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
