MHRD constitutes task force to look into 49 JNV students suicide

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 5: To look into the reason of suicides among Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) students, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has constituted a Task Force. Last week it was reported that between 2013-17, as many as 49 JNV students have committed suicide, half of these children belong to Dalit and Tribal community.

Taking cognisance of the report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also sent a notice to the MHRD and sought a reply within six weeks.

The MHRD has formed the task force to look into the issue and is also planning to engage two full-time counsellors in each of Navodaya Vidyalayas in process.

The Task Force is formed under the Chairmanship of Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Psychiatrist, which will look into the reasons of suicides reported in the JNVs since its inception with the following terms of reference-

(i) To look into the circumstances leading to the suicidal deaths of students residing in the hostels of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas residential schools;

(ii) To suggest ways and means to arrest the trend of suicides by students of JNVs.

Besides, the Ministry has sent a proposal to engage two full-time counsellors (one male and one female) in each of the 630 functional JNVs to the Department of Expenditure for approval.

The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) are fully residential schools managed and run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Recently, a news report had appeared in a leading newspaper regarding suicides by the students of JNVs over the last few years.