Three students in Delhi, India allegedly committed suicide earlier this week after receiving unsatisfying national exam results.
One student reportedly committed suicide after failing her mathematics and science subjects for the CBSE Class 10 board exams.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead upon arrival.
The incident came to light in the evening after her parents informed the police. No suicide note has been recovered yet, a police official said.
Two other students in separate areas of the state had also allegedly committed suicide for not doing well in the exams.
One scored 59% and the other, 70%, and were unhappy about not scoring well, police said.
The latter student reportedly wanted to pursue the science stream but feared the 70% she garnered was not enough to help her progress.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a board of education for public and private schools under the Union Government of India. Three international schools in Singapore offer the CBSE curriculum.
The latest exam results were announced on Monday this week. According to The Wire, the overall pass percentage was 86.7%.
School stress is a major contributing factor in causing anxiety and depression in students – but a recent study suggests it may also be causing a growing number of suicides.
“To our knowledge, this is one of only a few studies to report higher rates of hospitalisation for suicide during the academic school year,” said study lead author Greg Plemmons.
Although many other factors are linked to the spike in suicide figures in students, the study is a wake-up call for schools to help troubled students manage stress.
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