10 Students Die by Suicide After SSC Results, 70% Are Girls: Aachol Foundation

At least 10 students have died by suicide in different parts of Bangladesh following the publication of SSC and equivalent examination results, according to Aachol Foundation. Seven of the 10 students were girls, accounting for 70% of the cases, the organisation said, urging the government to take eight measures to prevent such incidents.

The call was made in a statement issued by Aachol Foundation on Sunday (August 16), titled “Risk of Student Deaths and Suicide Following the 2026 SSC and Equivalent Examination Results: Call for Urgent Government Action.”

According to the statement, media reports have documented the deaths of at least 10 students in Rajshahi, Kushtia, Chapainawabganj, Chandpur, Chattogram, Sherpur, Gopalganj, Meherpur, Cumilla and Chuadanga since the results were published on August 10.

Family members and local sources said the students had been under severe mental stress after failing the examinations or not achieving their expected results. Of the 10 cases reported in the media, seven involved girls and three involved boys, meaning girls accounted for around 70% of the reported cases. The organisation also cited a media report of a female student in Bhola who died by suicide in May, during the examinations, after performing poorly in the exams.

Aachol Foundation said the incidents highlight the limitations of a rote-learning and results-oriented education system. It called for greater government attention to practical, career-oriented, skills-based and enjoyable education, as well as opportunities for students to develop creativity, technological knowledge and problem-solving skills rather than focusing excessively on results.

According to data compiled by the organisation, at least 403 students died by suicide in 2025, compared with 310 in 2024, 513 in 2023 and 532 in 2022. Aachol Foundation identified academic pressure and examination results as among the key factors that push students towards suicide.

The statement said failing an examination or not achieving an expected result does not determine a student's worth or future prospects. However, presenting academic results as the sole measure of success or failure can deepen feelings of despair, shame, fear and social pressure, it said.

Aachol Foundation said student suicides should not be viewed solely as individual failures but should instead be addressed through a coordinated approach involving the education system, families, society and mental health services. It stressed the need for advance preparation and institutional support to address students' mental stress and risks around the publication of public examination results.

Eight demands from the government

Aachol Foundation has called on the government to take the following measures:

1. Families should increase their attention to and monitoring of students during examinations and for at least two weeks after results are published.

2. Every secondary and higher secondary educational institution should ensure access to trained counsellors and necessary mental health services.

3. Helplines or special mental health counselling and support programmes should be introduced for students before and after the publication of SSC and equivalent examination results.

4. Teachers and parents should receive training to identify signs of mental distress, behavioural changes and potential risks of self-harm among students and provide necessary support.

5. A nationwide parental awareness programme should be introduced to discourage humiliating, punishing, threatening or comparing students with others after poor examination results.

6. A national suicide prevention framework should be developed and implemented through coordination among the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, education boards, educational institutions and mental health experts.

7. Every educational institution should establish an effective support and referral system to identify and monitor students at mental health risk following results and connect them with appropriate mental health services.

8. The media and social media should ensure responsible and sensitive reporting of suicide cases and avoid exaggerated, sensational or potentially imitative coverage.

Aachol Foundation urged parents, teachers and society not to treat examination results as a student's ultimate identity and instead to stand by them. According to the organisation, a low GPA, failing an examination or not achieving an expected result is a temporary academic outcome, not the end of life.

The organisation also said ensuring a safe and supportive environment for students is not solely the responsibility of families but a shared responsibility of educational institutions, the state and society as a whole. It expressed hope that the government would respond to the recent incidents with swift, effective and long-term measures.