In the wake of continuing incidents of student suicides in Kota, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has ordered the formation of a committee to look into the matter and suggest preventive measures.
At least 20 students have died by suicide so far this year in Kota, known nationally for being the cub of coaching centres for engineering and medical entrance examinations. Last year, the number of suicides was 15 in the entire year.
Gehlot also said that students are put under the stress of entrance exams as early as class 9 and 10 and the situation is therefore a fault of parents too.
Two days after the latest student suicide in Kota, Gehlot on Friday held a meeting to review the situation. Highlighting the burden put on students studying in class 9 and 10, he said enrolling class 9 and 10 students in coaching institutes puts extra burden on them since they also have to appear for board exams.
"You call students of class 9th and 10th. You are committing a crime in a way. It is like as if IIT is god. As soon as students come to coaching, they are enrolled in fake schools. It is also a fault of the parents...Students are enrolled in dummy schools and they do not go to schools. They have dual burden of clearing board exams and to prepare for entrance exam," said Gehlot, as per PTI.
The committee to look into student suicides will be composed of all stakeholders, including representatives from coaching institutes, parents and doctors, and it will submit its report in 15 days, said Gehlot.
Gehlot also said students have to attend six hours of coaching class, then attend extra classes and give weekly tests.
"It is time for improvement. We cannot see young students committing suicide," said Gehlot.
Gehlot asked why maximum suicide cases in the city were from Allen coaching institute when he was informed that 14 out of 21 students who died by suicide in Kota this year were from the institute, reported PTI, adding that it was also informed to the CM that Allen institute has the maximum number of students.
A representative of the institute clarified that coaching institutes do not call students of class 9 or 10 but the education system is such that parents want better options for their children, reported PTI, adding that to this, Gehlot said that he was not targeting any specific institute but wanted to know why the institute had the highest number of suicides.
Minister of State for Education Zahida Khan also urged coaching institutes not to turn into "money-making machines", reported PTI, adding that Gehlot said it was not just Rajasthan's but that of the entire country.
The meeting also discussed National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on student suicides at the meeting. As per NCRB, around 13,000 students died by suicide in 2021 with Maharashtra recorded the most suicides (1,834), followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,308), Tamil Nadu (1,246), Karnataka (855), and Odisha (834).
The number of such suicides in Rajasthan was 633, which is less than other states, but the the state government is "serious and sensitive" towards the issue, said a statement issued after the meeting.
