17 deaths in 2023: How student suicides are becoming a tragic reality of Kota

Rajasthan’s coaching institute hub, Kota, reported another suicide on Thursday (3 August) as a student preparing for medical entrance exam NEET was found dead at his hostel. As per NDTV, the teenager, identified as Manjot Chhabra from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur, had come to Kota a few months back. With this, the total number of student suicides in Kota this year has reached 17, reported the news channel. Kota, which is famous for its coaching institutes – from legacy centres such as Allen Career Institute and Bansal Classes to ed-tech startups like PhysicsWallah – is now gaining notoriety for the suicides of young learners. Let’s take a closer look. Student suicides haunt Kota Lakhs of students from across the country descend upon this city in Rajasthan every year to prepare for tough engineering and medical entrance exams. Tall billboards by coaching centres selling success by boasting of remarkable ranks by their students mushroom across the city. Amid high pressure to succeed in this rat race, Kota is losing its young aspirants to death. Between May and June alone, nine students died by suicide in the coaching institute hub, reported India Today. In July, a 17-year-old boy, preparing for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance exam, was found hanging in his hostel room. According to India Today, the student, identified as Pushpendra Singh, had recently arrived in Kota from Rajasthan’s Jalore. Earlier last month, Bahadur, 17, who hailed from UP’s Rampur, died by suicide. At least 16 aspirants lost their lives in Kota in 2022, as per Moneycontrol. As per the Rajasthan government, 53 cases of student suicides, including 52 in Kota and one in Baran, were reported between January 2019 to December 2022, reported Times of India (TOI).  Last December, several reports said that the Rajasthan government is planning to introduce a bill to regulate private educational institutions in order to reduce stress on students. However, as per the TOI report this June, the Bill has been put on the back-burner for now. ‘Pressure cooker’ atmosphere Competition is fierce in Kota’s coaching centres as the number of seats in prestigious medical and engineering institutes is limited to just thousands. However, this does not deter lakhs of aspirants who go to the city to achieve their ambitious dreams of cracking IITs or AIIMS. As most of these learners leave their homes and families behind for their studies, they often face problems in adjusting to the highly competitive atmosphere. [caption id=“attachment_12954902” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Aspirants in Kota are under immense pressure which is fuelled by high competitive atmosphere. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Saumya Kumari, a 16-year-old who came to Kota from Jharkhand recently, told India Today in June: “Sometimes, students who come from outside find it difficult to cope with peer pressure and parental expectations.” Speaking to Moneycontrol about how the minds of teenagers and young students are affected in the coaching hub, Ahla Matra, a psychologist, said, “The promise of a bright future is a script that has been told to these students and everyone is putting everything into that hope”. “Entering the coaching system feels sudden and jarring – there’s no easing into the process and it can be very overwhelming. Students end up studying for 16-18 hours a day, and that’s a recipe for a mental health disaster as their lives are thrown out of balance,” she explained. “As soon as a child becomes a school topper, parents start dreaming. They think their child is capable of topping one of the toughest exams in the country,” Bhagwan Birla, president of Landmark City hostel association, told India Today. “When the child lands up in Kota, he realises that he might be the topper of his school, but here he stands no chance.” Birla said this usually results in the aspirants returning to their homes or “dying by suicide”. Those who come from financially deprived backgrounds have an additional burden bearing on their minds. Their anxieties can further be accelerated if the learner is unable to score well during initial attempts, noted India Today. A senior teacher told Moneycontrol that high competition in Kota affects students’ self-esteem and identity. According to the teaching professional, educators focus only on the “essential study techniques, problem-solving strategies”, and making students accustomed to the course and curriculum. “No one is teaching them how to deal with the added pressure and not get overwhelmed,” the senior teacher told the digital news outlet. Anu Gupta, a teacher at Allen Career Institute, told Moneycontrol that pressure has increased on the students due to the loss of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. ALSO READ: Kota suicides: The piteous tale of great expectations and hopelessness What can be done? Kota is now sprawled with 24x7 helpline numbers and special police booths for students. Many coaching centres have hired counsellors to address the growing crisis. Other measures include organising Zumba classes, yoga sessions and mental wellness workshops for students, reported PTI.  “We have been taking steps to help de-stress students. We have opened Resocare at the institute to help the students relieve tension,” Kirti Songara, vice president of Resonance Coaching Institute, was quoted as saying by India Today. [caption id=“attachment_12954992” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Students of Allen institute in Kota participate in a Zumba session. PTI File Photo[/caption] However, Matra, a psychologist, said that coaching centres resorting to only counselling is a “limited” way to deal with distressed students. “The mental health conversation should focus on prevention, not just intervention,” she told Moneycontrol. Matra also called for a “balance” between the amount of time spent by students on studying and that spent on “rest and recovery”. “We have to actively fight against the narrative that students who struggle within this system lack mental ability or resilience,” she said. Matra suggested parents can help their children discover their interests and “open channel of communication” early on in life. As per journalist Avijit Pathak’s piece for Indian Express last December, parents need to ask themselves some “uncomfortable” questions. “Are we ready to realise that our children are not “investments” — a raw material to be sent to the Kota factory, and transformed into a polished “product” with placement offers and an attractive salary package? Are we bold and transparent enough to realise that our children’s real happiness lies in experimenting, looking at themselves, and eventually pursuing what they are inclined to?” With inputs from agencies (A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available  here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669)