Unable to pay school fees, 14-year-old Kashmiri girl attempts suicide

A 14-year-old girl from Bandipora in Kashmir attempted suicide as her family could not afford to pay her school fees.

Speaking to The Kashmiriyat locals from her native Tirgam in Bandipora’s Sonawari said that on October 16, the girl (name with held) who is a student of class 6th tried to take her own life.

“The girl was taken to JVC Hospital in Bemina, where doctors performed an intensive treatment for two days, she was stabilized and was subsequently discharged,” they said.

The young girl’s suicide attempt, driven by the family’s financial crisis, shocked the entire community. A relative, quoted by Srinagar based Kashmir Observer, said that er father had tried various businesses in a desperate effort to make ends meet. “He tried everything—small trades, shopkeeping—but nothing worked. Finally, he sold all our land to start a livestock business, but the cattle he bought died soon after. This left us with nothing,” the family member of the minor girl said.

As the family’s debts mounted, the girl’s emotional state worsened, feeling trapped and overwhelmed by the financial burden. “She had been quietly suffering for a long time. We never realized how deep her pain was until she took 20 pills in an attempt to take her own life,” the family member added.

The school in Odina, where the girl is a 6th-grade student, had been sympathetic to the family’s situation. The administration had even granted a ₹20,000 discount on her fees, but the remaining ₹90,000 was still far beyond what they could afford.

A family relative remarked, “We tried everything to arrange the money, but it’s impossible for us. I never thought it would push her to such an extreme decision.”

This heartbreaking incident has raised serious concerns about the impact of poverty on young people in Kashmir, particularly when it comes to accessing education.

Although the girl has now returned to school, the weight of the unpaid fees continues to hang over her family. “We just pray someone comes forward to help us,” a family member said.

This tragic case has reignited conversations about the devastating effects of poverty on Kashmiri youth, with increasing calls for stronger financial and emotional support systems for struggling families across the region.