A grade 11 student from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu died by suicide on September 3 after failing to cope with the pressure of online lessons.
The deceased student, identified as Vikrapandi, was facing difficulties coping with online lessons from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
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He was studying in a school in Tiruchirappalli city but returned home after the lockdown. Ever since online lessons began, Vikrapandi told his family that he was struggling with online classes and that it was difficult to understand lessons, Indian media reported.
As per local media reports, he was concerned about failing to fulfill his parents’ dreams of being educated.
Unable to cope with the stress, Vikrapandi decided to hang himself when his parents went out for work. The boy’s relatives immediately took him to the hospital but it was too late.
Two days before Vikrapandi’s death, a 17-year-old National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from Tamil Nadu died of pesticide consumption, allegedly after failing to download the admit card for the high-stake medical entrance test.
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The incident had sparked a conversation online about students in the state.
Highlighting the recent deaths of students in Tamil Nadu, Twitter user @gops0112 posted: “In the past few days, successive cases of student suicides have rocked Tamil Nadu. On the third death anniversary of Anitha, who fought and sacrificed her life for her medical dream, another student had committed suicide due to NEET.#SaveTNStudents”
