St Columba's student's death: Probe panel flags need for stronger student support systems

An inquiry report prepared by a committee constituted by the Delhi government has highlighted the need for improved student welfare mechanisms and closer monitoring of school practices following the death of a Class 10 student of St Columbas School in central Delhi last year.

An inquiry report prepared by a committee constituted by the Delhi government has highlighted the need for improved student welfare mechanisms and closer monitoring of school practices following the death of a Class 10 student of St Columba's School in central Delhi last year. After the alleged death by suicide of a Class X student of St Columba's School on November 18, the Delhi government constituted a high-level inquiry committee on November 21 to investigate the incident. Following this, the Directorate of Education issued a formal order initiating the probe, calling the incident ''unfortunate'' and stressing the need to ascertain all facts and determine accountability. The report examined the circumstances surrounding the November incident in which the 16-year-old student died after jumping from a Metro station platform. The committee, formed to ascertain facts and administrative gaps, visited St Columba's School and recorded statements of students, teachers, parents and school officials, besides reviewing institutional records, the draft report said. Based on these interactions, the panel observed that students experienced emotional distress linked to classroom practices and a lack of structured counselling support, according to the report. However, there was no immediate response available from St Columba's School or the Directorate of Education on the contents of the report. The draft report pointed to supervisory and systemic shortcomings, mentioning that the school did not have formal mechanisms to regularly assess students' mental well-being or to gather feedback on teacher-student interactions. It also underlined the absence of documented counselling follow-ups despite signs of stress among students, according to the SIT findings. Emphasising the wider issue of adolescent mental health, the committee said schools must prioritise emotional safety alongside academics. Teachers should be trained to identify early warning signs of distress and ensure timely referrals to counsellors, the report said. The panel recommended the introduction of clear codes of conduct for teachers, regular mental health training, appointment of qualified counsellors, confidential grievance systems for students and stronger parental engagement to help prevent similar incidents in the future, the report added.

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