A total of 40 student suicides have been reported in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) over the past five years between 2021-25 and the current year 2026 so far, with Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh recording the highest number of cases with five each, followed by Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with three cases each, the central government said. Lok Sabha on Monday.
Responding to Congress MP Kodikunil Suresh’s questions on suicides in JNVs and corrective measures to address mental health of students, Minister of State (MoS) for Education Jayant Chaudhary said the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) has conducted fact-finding investigations into all cases of student suicides through duly constituted inquiry committees. He added: “Based on the results of these committees, the main reasons are: family-related issues, academic examination and pressure, high levels of ambition or high expectations from parents, behavioral concerns of adolescents, and issues related to mental health.”
NVS is an autonomous organization under the Union Ministry of Education, which runs over 650 residential JNVs across India except Tamil Nadu with an enrollment of over 3.10 lakh students. At least 75% of the seats in the district where JNVs are located are filled by candidates selected from rural areas based on their scores in a national-level test.
Data on student suicides in JNVs, shared by Chowdhury, shows a rise in cases from 2 in 2021 to a peak of 12 in 2024, before falling to 8 in 2025 and 3 so far in 2026. State and district-level data indicate that cases are spread across multiple regions, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, etc.
Chaudhary highlighted the various initiatives and measures being taken by the central government to provide mental health support to students in JNVs. He said the union education ministry recently held a “high-level meeting” attended by a senior psychiatrist and directors of JNVs identified where suicides had occurred. NCERT colleges and NVS officials also joined the meeting to “analyze suicide cases in JNVs”.
“The National Center for School Leadership of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) also conducts capacity development workshops for JNV school principals on mental health and social emotional well-being of students, from time to time,” he added.
Chaudhary said several measures have been taken to address mental health concerns among JNV students. This includes engaging male and female counselors in each school, providing remote counseling services, and allowing school principals to request support from professional counselors in government hospitals. Teachers, who perform domestic parenting roles, are trained in guidance and counseling, with additional in-service programs for home managers, while some are also nominated for the one-year diploma course in counseling conducted by NCERT.
He added that a task force formed by the ministry in 2018 to enhance psychosocial support led to further initiatives, including the toll-free helpline 1800-180-7992 for students and the introduction of “happy hours” to promote positive interaction and emotional well-being. In addition, 50 to 60 teachers are nominated each year for specialized advisory training to strengthen student support systems.
