MEDAN: A 16-year-old student in North Sumatra has taken his own life, allegedly after his parents were unable to afford his school supplies, marking yet another student suicide linked to economic hardship in Indonesia this year.
The 10th-grade student, identified only as PJS, was found dead in the bathroom of his home in Simanindo district, Samosir regency, at around 5.30am on Monday (March 30).
His father, 63-year-old TS, said the teenager had gone to bathe before leaving for school.
“However, I checked the bathroom after hearing no noise from inside and found him dead,” he said on Tuesday.
TS said the incident was very shocking to the family, describing PJS as a quiet and reserved teenager who rarely opened up and never shared his feelings or the difficulties he faced with those around him.
Simanindo Police chief First Insp Ramadan Siregar said preliminary findings indicate the student may have taken his own life due to economic pressures faced by his family.
Investigators found that the victim had repeatedly asked his parents for school supplies, but the requests could not be fulfilled due to financial constraints.
“The victim is believed to have experienced stress and disappointment because his requests for school necessities were not met,” Ramadan said.
He added that the case remains under investigation.
PJS and his family lived in a small, 4-by-6 metre house in poor condition, lacking proper facilities and adequate access to clean water. His father, a farmer, struggled to make ends meet.
While in junior high, PJS often worked on the farm to help support his education, but the longer hours in high school made it impossible for him to continue. Every day, PJS walked approximately 10km to his high school, which was about 16km from home, as his family could only afford part of the commuting costs.
Head of the North Sumatra Education Agency Region VIII, Jhon Suhartono Purba, however, denied that PJS had faced economic or academic difficulties at school.
“This case is a serious concern for us. We will immediately carry out an internal evaluation of student support systems in schools and strengthen the role of guidance and counseling teachers in identifying students’ psychological conditions,” he said.
“This incident is a reminder that education is not only about academics, but also about supporting the students’ mental well-being,” he added.
The case comes just two months after a similar suicide in Ngada, East Nusa Tenggara. The 10-year-old victim, identified only by the initials YBS, reportedly took his own life after being unable to afford school supplies.
His widowed mother, who supports five children, said she did not have the money when he asked for less than Rp 10,000 (about 60 US cents) to buy a pen and a notebook.
Experts and observers have highlighted that student suicides, particularly those driven by economic hardship, reflect the state’s failure to uphold children’s basic rights, including access to proper care, health, welfare and education.
They also criticised what they see as misaligned government spending priorities in education. This year, the government has earmarked Rp 13.4 trillion (US$789 million) in education assistance funds to support 18.5 million students, but the amount remains far from sufficient.
Current data shows that 3.9 million children are still out of school due to poverty or being forced into early labor.
Meanwhile, the government allocated Rp 335 trillion for the free meal programme, equivalent to 42 per cent of the total national education budget. Experts warn that such a disproportionate allocation risks diverting resources away from addressing the country’s persistent educational crisis. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
***Those contemplating suicide can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935/ 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999/ 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp); Jakim’s family, social and community care centre (011-1959 8214 on WhatsApp); or Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929/email sam@befrienders.org.my/visit www.befrienders.org.my/centre- in-malaysia).
