Kota in Rajasthan, famous for its premier coaching institutes, has been in the limelight recently for rising cases of suicide among students. In the latest incident, a 16-year-old girl from Jharkhand’s Ranchi allegedly hanged herself to death in her hostel room, becoming the 23rd student to commit suicide in the coaching hub this year.
Over 2.5 lakh students come to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges.
Kota, with its 3,500 hostels, has been famous for outperforming other students in the country in the NEET and JEE exams, which enables them to get admitted to the premier engineering and medical institutes. However, this year, Kota has witnessed record deaths due to suicide, leading concerns among parents, students and the policymakers across the country.
How many Students Die by suicide in Kota?
As of now, 23 students have died by suicide in Kota this year, the highest ever for the country’s coaching hub. Last year, the figure was 15, according to official figures.
According to Rajasthan Police data, the figure was 15 in 2022, 18 in 2019, 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015. No student suicide was reported in Kota in 2020 and 2021, as coaching institutes were shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
What problems do students face in Kota?
The students aspiring for medical and engineering examinations work under tight schedules, frequent tests and cut-throat competition.
There is constant pressure to do better, the burden of parents’ expectations and homesickness are factors that makes their conditions worse.
What is being done to check Suicides
Amid the record spike, the administration has taken several steps including mandating installation of an anti-hanging device in fans and ordering coaching institutes to not take any exam for two months.
The anti-hanging device in a way that when an object weighing more than 20 kg is hung from the fan, the spring attached to it expands, making it impossible for someone to commit suicide by this method and a siren goes off.
Moreover, “anti-suicide nets” are also being installed in balconies and lobbies of hostels in Kota to prevent students from taking any extreme step. Hostel owners said such steps to make their premises “suicide proof” are crucial to avoid tragic incidents.
Kota Deputy Commissioner O.P. Bunkar has said that several measures from routine psychological tests of children to effective communication with parents are being done.
The wardens and staff members of hostels in Kota will be given professional training in mess management, psychological and behavioural counselling, and other aspects of students’ care to equip them to check the rising number of suicides.
Success Rate in Kota
Kota coaching institutes have 50 All India Ranks among the top 100 students selected for the prestigious JEE-advanced examination this year, for entrance to IITs, according to a report in Times of India.
The success rate in the city varied among the institutes with some like Resonance Eduventures claiming it to be 35.4 percent, while others like Motion Education Pvt Ltd claiming 53 percent students got selected for the engineering examination.
More study, Less Sleep
The student in the coaching institutes have to go through a rigorous training where there are long hours of coaching classes and longer hours of self-study.
As per reports, some of the classes start as early as 6.30 am and goes on through the day. The students continue their self-study as late as 2 am in the night.
If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
Comments
0 comment