Beyond the paper leak: Deadly price of India’s exam obsession

Have parents prepared their children to cope with failure? Have they reassured them that a disappointing result is not the end of life?

The NEET paper leak has rightly triggered nationwide outrage. Equally shocking, however, is the tragic loss of young lives that have followed in its wake. Reports indicate that about 20 students across the country have allegedly died by suicide after the examination was cancelled and the uncertainty surrounding their future after that.

The paper leak has undoubtedly shattered the confidence of lakhs of aspirants who spent years preparing for one of the country’s toughest examinations. Yet, is the leak alone responsible for these deaths?

The answer is far more uncomfortable.

The repeated leaks, uncertainty over examinations and the erosion of trust in the system have certainly inflicted severe psychological trauma on students. But the crisis goes much deeper. Behind many of these tragedies lies an education culture that equates academic success with self-worth and failure with the end of life itself.

Not the first time, unfortunately

Long before the paper leak controversy erupted, there were reports from different parts of the country of students ending their lives because they feared they would fail the examination or disappoint their families. This shows that the problem is not confined to one examination or one controversy. It is rooted in a mindset that has become deeply entrenched in society.

Failure in examinations remains one of the leading causes of student suicides in India. According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) reports, exam failure has consistently accounted for nearly one in five, or about 21 per cent, of all student suicides recorded between 2014 and 2024.

Behind every statistic is a young life cut short, a grieving family and dreams that never had the chance to evolve.

The pressure is very, very real

The pressure surrounding examinations like NEET and JEE has reached alarming proportions. For many families, admission into a premier medical college or an IIT is viewed not merely as an academic achievement but as the ultimate measure of success. Years of coaching, enormous financial investments and relentless expectations create an atmosphere where students begin to believe that their entire future depends on a single examination.

When that belief collapses, so do many young minds.

Even the Supreme Court has repeatedly expressed concern over the enormous psychological burden placed on students preparing for highly competitive entrance examinations. It has observed that excessive parental expectations and the toxic culture surrounding coaching institutions have become major contributors to the growing mental health crisis among students.

Unfortunately, these warnings have done little to alter societal attitudes. National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) have increasingly become symbols of a larger systemic failure. Every examination cycle throws up fresh controversies – paper leaks, allegations of irregularities, excessively intrusive frisking, suspicious scoring patterns, prolonged litigation and prolonged uncertainty. 

While governments promise reforms after every crisis, students continue to pay the highest price.

The emotional cost of this broken system rarely finds space in policy discussions.

Time for parents to introspect

An unbelievable 2,000 students commit suicide every year, according to an account. A significant number of these deaths are linked directly or indirectly to examination stress, fear of failure and academic pressure. These are not merely numbers. They represent a national emergency that demands far greater attention than it currently receives.

The focus should not remain confined to plugging paper leaks or conducting re-examinations. Those are essential reforms, but they address only one part of the problem.

The more difficult questions must be asked at home.

Parents protesting against paper leaks and demanding justice are fully justified. But they must also pause for introspection. Have they prepared their children to cope with failure? Have they reassured them that a disappointing result is not the end of life? Have they valued their child’s emotional wellbeing as much as their report card?

Far too often, children are conditioned to believe that becoming a doctor or an engineer is the only acceptable path to success. Every setback is portrayed as a catastrophe. Every rank becomes a measure of personal worth. In such an environment, failure ceases to be an experience from which one can recover. It becomes an unbearable burden.

This is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.

Today, India offers opportunities in countless professions – from research, entrepreneurship and public policy to design, journalism, technology, law, social work and the creative arts. Success no longer wears a single face. Yet, many families continue to force their children into a narrow definition of achievement, leaving little room for individual aptitude, passion or resilience.

One grief-stricken parent summed up the lesson with painful clarity: “Your child’s life is far more important than becoming a doctor or an engineer. Never value an examination more than life itself.”

Those words deserve to echo in every household.

Reformation of Indian parenting culture

The NEET paper leak has exposed glaring weaknesses in the examination system, and those responsible must be held accountable. But unless India also reforms its parenting culture, educational priorities and societal definition of success, the headlines will continue to report not only examination scandals but also the heartbreaking deaths of students who believed they had no future beyond one test.

No examination is worth a child’s life. Until that simple truth is accepted by parents, educators, policymakers and society alike, paper leaks may be plugged, but the real crisis will remain unresolved.

As Winston Churchill said, success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.