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Indian Muslim students discuss in front of a school in New Delhi after their exams on April 14, 2019. Noemi CASSANELLI / AFP

A wave of suicide among young students worries the authorities of the state of Telangana, in the south of India. Twenty-two schoolchildren, about 16 years old, died after failing an important high school exam. Some examiners have in fact made mistakes and the authorities have launched an investigation.

With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sébastien Farcis

A week ago, 18-year-old Raju was found hanging on the tree at his school. He had just failed two subjects of the Bac. The day before, Jyothi, aged 17, set herself on fire. She did not survive.

The wave of student suicides continues to grow. More than 300,000 high school graduates, about one in three in southern Telangana, have been stalled, representing the end of the world for these young Indians.

The competition to enter good universities is so great that they only accept the elite and family pressure ends up plunging these young people into depression if they fail.

Several suicides occur each year at this time, but the number is exceptional this year, as examiners have made serious mistakes. The regional government has just sanctioned some teachers and demand the reconsideration of copies of failed students.