A school spoke to its senior students about the need to speak up if they were facing any crisis after one of its Class XII students was found hanging in an abandoned building near his home.
Police said the 17-year-old boy was in “debt” and into “online gambling”, a habit of his that his family and teachers were unaware of.
“We spoke to some of our senior students and told them that if they were in any situation that they could not handle, they should speak to adults around them. They have to talk to parents or teachers who will be able to help them,” said the CEO of the school.
The official said the school had spoken to Class X board examinees and would address the Class XII board examinees soon.
The boy who is no more had written his last Class XII board paper on Monday. He was found hanging on Tuesday evening.
“Children often keep things to themselves, which can be dangerous. We do not want any of our children to be depressed and not talk about it,” said the official.
In the new session beginning April, the school has decided to speak to all students from Classes VI to XII.
The school will also have a session with parents where they would be told about the need to monitor the activities of children.
“We will tell the students that they can share their problems with teachers, counsellors or even senior management of the school,” said the official.
Teenage lives are becoming increasingly complex and children often keep their own lives to themselves.
After the Covid pandemic, most children, including those in the primary section, possess or have access to a device.
“Parents are often clueless about what the child is doing with the device,” said a teacher not associated with the school.
Psychotherapist Farishta Dastur Mukerji said that parents, teachers and other adults should be sensitised about the struggle faced by children.
“Children do send out signals for help in various ways, which could be direct or subtle. Adults, be it teachers, parents, counsellors or caregivers, need to pick up those signals, sensitively handle the situation and empathise with the child,” said Dastur Mukerji.
The principal of another school said that it was the collective responsibility of parents, school and teachers to ensure the mental wellbeing of a child.
“Children in general have become very lonely. They have friends but they do
not connect with them in real life. They have become more comfortable in the virtual world, where they are unaware of the identity of the person they are interacting with,” said Satabdi Bhattacharjee, principal, South City International School, which is not connected with the recent incident.
