Here’s a secret hiding in plain sight in every school corridor, classroom, and staffroom in India: the adults who spend the most time with our children are also overwhelmingly unprepared to support their mental health. Not their grades. Not their test scores. Their minds. Let that sink in.
The Silent Crisis
of all:
Why? What could we have done?
Student suicide has increased by 65% across India over the last decade. And if current trends continue, thousands more families will have to ask that question every single year.
But you’d never know it if you attended schools that take this seriously. They hold monthly workshops on mental health and empower their teachers to take mental wellness as seriously as academics.
But this isn’t the case at most schools. Because this silent crisis doesn’t make much noise.
As students slip through the cracks, parents quietly wring their hands, leaders try to send corrective emails, and change inches forward at a frustrating pace. Because for most schools and communities, this crisis quietly plays out behind closed doors.
There are no marches. No ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Just spiraling kids and frustrated parents wondering where we went wrong.
But here’s the thing:
If we want to turn the tide, we need to ask: where do kids spend most of their time? Hint: it’s not at the counsellor’s office.
Teachers: Our First Line of Defense
Here’s a number that’ll blow your mind: 1,000+.
That’s how many hours a teacher spends with their students every year. More than most parents in many kids’ lives. Who will be the first to recognize when a child arrives at school carrying emotional burdens? Which adult group dedicates the most waking hours looking at children directly in their faces?
Here’s another number: Zero.
That’s how many teachers at most schools have received formal training on identifying mental health warning signs, how to approach a student in distress, or where to refer a student when they need more support than the school can provide.
It’s not that teachers don’t care. It’s that they don’t know how. Because right now in India, we expect teachers to do the impossible: find time to support kids’ mental health with no training, resources, or support.
Teachers are our first line of defense. The question remains why our students' protectors remain without what they need to safeguard their students' mental health.
Enter: Contact Hours Paradox.
Our teachers spend more waking hours with students than many families do. But they have the least amount of training in supporting students’ mental health.
Helping students feels like the responsibility of “someone.” But who that “someone” is varies wildly from school to school.
A teacher who feels supported and trained to identify and refer at-risk students? Rare.
A counsellor who only has contact with students once a week when things are already falling apart? Usual.
Most schools are waiting for that mythical hero teacher who devotes their entire life to students. Someone who has nothing but time. So they put their mental health on ICE.
To teach or not to teach? That is not the question.
How many times have you heard a teacher, administrator or parent say: “I’m not a therapist.” If they want students to thrive mentally, why do we expect teachers to do this impossible task without training?
When did teaching become something you either “have in you” or fail at when educating children? Many teachers begin their careers because they love children, but that doesn't mean they know how to safeguard their emotional and mental health.
Where’s the training? Where’s the preparation? What methods exist to hold institutions responsible for resolving their operational challenges?
Instead, we often hear excuses.
The Biggest Excuse of All
And that’s where we fail kids. When we encounter a child who is silent or exhibits destructive behavior, our reactions are immobilized. Teachers face uncertainty about appropriate actions, which makes parents reluctant to confront and leaves leaders powerless to prevent such problems.
Discussing mental health with my daughter is important to me but how can I approach the conversation without frightening her?
I'm worried about sending her to therapy since there's no guarantee of success. What if I’m overreacting?
All valid concerns. Crippling paralysis prevents a precious chance to build a connection with your child. To ask if they’re okay. To empower them to seek support. Even if they say no.
The central issue lies not within a lack of concern from teachers and parents about children's mental health. These adults lack proper training to manage such situations.
Changing the Game
Imagine if we reimagined the role of teachers.
What if your school truly had everyone’s backs?
It’s not a utopian fantasy. Research on suicide prevention has been around for decades. And time and time again, studies have found that gatekeeper training (training everyday adults to identify risks, refer students, and respond with empathy) is one of the most effective ways to prevent suicide and support student wellness.
GTA-based suicide prevention trainings have been meta-analyzed, showing strong effect sizes. Meaning when teachers and parents know better, they do better.
We’ve all heard this logic before. So what’s the holdup? Well, here’s the thing about suicide prevention training:
It doesn’t solve the systemic issues.
A teacher who has mental health training but no one to escalate their concerns to is still stuck. A school who puts on an emotional wellness workshop but lacks any written protocols for schools to implement are just checking a box.
If all we do is train teachers, they still spend all day long wondering where to escalate their students to next. They still feel helpless when they see something.
What’s required is a systemic approach to truly flipping the script on how schools respond to mental health. Quarterly trainings to keep preparedness fresh. Clearly outlined policies schools can access. Specific teams who know what to do in moments of crisis. And most importantly, normalizing mental wellness as something we care about as much as academics.
After all, we don’t put fire drills off until schools feel prepared do we? Our safety depends on the collective effort of everyone involved.
Not Just Heros
Want students to care about mental health? Teach them young.
In countries where suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings are mandatory, like Japan and Brazil, suicide rates have plummeted. So if we want students to champion mental health, we need to give them the tools to do just that. From day one.
The Hopeful Part
Schools are slowly waking up to the fact that they can flaunt their ratings all they want, but if kids in their care aren’t learning in a mentally safe environment, they aren’t reaching their full potential.
And the data proves that when adults are trained and systems are built, kids thrive.
The good news is we’re not starting from scratch. We’re starting from a place of immense love. Love that teaches your kids bedtime stories. Love that stays late with your students. Love that can’t look at your kid without wondering what’s hurting.
That love already exists. What’s been missing is the proper tools to act on it. We have the power to give them a voice. So let’s act on it.
If you're an educator, school leader, or parent who believes that student wellbeing deserves the same rigor and standards we give to academics, we'd love to hear from you.
�� swiss@mysafespaces.org | �� mysafespaces.org/swiss
"The best time to train teachers was ten years ago. The second-best time is today."
