Kota: Will fixing fans, halting exams, installing nets stop student suicides?

As student suicides rise in Rajasthan’s Kota, authorities have introduced several measures to rein in such tragic incidents. However, some rules, such as installing spring-loaded fans and ‘anti-suicide nets’, are being seen as mere band-aid steps. More than 20 aspirants have died by suicide in Kota, with two deaths reported on Sunday (27 August) alone. Rajasthan’s coaching institute hub attracts over two lakh students every year who aim to clear the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering or the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges. How suicides by students have surged in Kota? What latest measures have been launched by authorities to arrest these rising numbers in the city? Will they help? Let’s understand. Highest suicides in eight years At least 22 students have died by suicide in Kota this year, the highest in the last eight years. Indian Express reported citing the Kota Police data that 17 students had died in 2015, 16 in 2016, seven in 2017, 20 in 2018 and eight in 2019. In the pandemic years, when students left the city during the lockdown, the suicide figures fell. In 2020, four suicides were reported and none the following year. Last year, 15 students died by suicide in Kota, the newspaper report added. By August this year, the student suicide figures in the city surpassed last year’s cases. On Sunday, two back-to-back incidents came to light. A 17-year-old NEET aspirant jumped from the sixth floor of a coaching institute. As per Indian Express, he was from Maharashtra’s Latur district and had been staying with his grandparents in Kota for the past few years. The police said he took his life minutes after taking a mock NEET test, PTI reported. Hours later that day, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Bihar died by suicide at his rented flat in the Kunhadi Police station area in Kota. New measures to stop student suicides Earlier in August, the Kota administration made it mandatory for hostels to install spring-loaded fans in rooms. Bhupendra Sharma, who runs two hostels in the city, told News18 that these fans have a rod-like device that does not allow them to bear high weights. “The moment a person’s weight comes onto the fan, the spring opens up and comes down, thus thwarting their attempt. While we can say that there are other methods of taking the extreme step if one has decided to do so, it might just work in some cases and save a precious life. It’s better than not doing anything about it," he argued. Hostels are also installing “anti-suicide nets” in balconies and lobbies to prevent students from taking their lives. “We have installed huge nets in all lobbies and balconies to block students in case they jump from higher floors. These nets can hold weight up to 150 kg and also ensure that students do not get injured,” Vinod Gautam, owner of a girls’ hostel in Kota told news agency PTI. ALSO READ: How student suicides are becoming a tragic reality of Kota Another hostel owner said he has put up iron nets in all lobbies, windows, and balconies. “Most students attempt suicide either by hanging themselves from a fan or by jumping from higher floors or the terrace. We have installed measures for both to avoid any tragedy. It is bad for business too because once a suicide happens, students in that hostel start shifting to other hostels or PGs,” the news agency quoted him as saying. [caption id=“attachment_13055052” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Hostels in Kota are putting up ‘anti-suicide’ nets. PTI[/caption] Speaking to News18, a hostel owner, who owns several rented accommodations in the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar area, said they have installed censors in the fans in all rooms. “We got censors installed in the fans last year when several such incidents were being reported and the government had asked hostel owners to take steps to curb the same. The censor would let an alarm out in case a person attempts to hang from a fan. We also ensure that students attend classes and are not remaining aloof," he said. According to Indian Express, Kota has about 4,000 hostels and 40,000 paying guest (PG) facilities, which charge around Rs 7,000 per month for lodging and food. Now, Kota authorities have directed coaching institutes to stop conducting routine tests of students preparing for competitive exams for the next two months. As per the News18 report, most of the suicides are reported around the time of weekly tests. All coaching centres organise weekly or fortnightly tests to keep a check on students’ progress, the report added. “Test results are announced openly for all. Several teachers just come in and ask who are the toppers. Those trying hard to make it through are left out and often get depressed about it," Srijan Sharma, a JEE aspirant, told the news channel. Another student alleged that educators at coaching institutes segregate students on the basis of their marks in these exams. “The way teachers categorise star performers, who are then made out to be a separate batch with the best teachers, is not right," the student told News18. Will these measures help? A massive uproar had erupted on social media after reports of hostels in Kota installing spring-loaded fans to prevent student suicides surfaced, with many saying these steps do not address the underlying problems and mental health issues faced by these aspirants. The young aspirants, mostly coming from outside Rajasthan, face myriad problems while preparing to tackle these tough exams. Fierce competition, peer pressure, homesickness, and in some cases, families’ financial situation weigh on the minds of these students. Their anxieties further increase when they do not perform well in their coaching tests, as per experts. Sharma, a hostel owner in Kota quoted above, told News18 that the administration, coaching institutes and parents need to do much more to prevent such tragedies. “The parents are away. They just talk on the phone or visit twice or thrice a year. It’s us who need to monitor how a student has been behaving. If there’s the slightest sign of them being withdrawn or not keeping with their daily schedule, we must inform the parents and talk to the student as well”. On whether measures such as spring-loaded fans are enough, Kota deputy commissioner OP Bunkar told PTI, “We are taking several measures, right from routine psychological tests of children to effective communication with parents.” “However, measures like spring-loaded fans can be helpful in preventing any attempt being made in the heat of the moment by a student. Once that attempt is unsuccessful, students can be counselled and other measures can be implemented too”, he added. Anand Kumar, mathematician and founder of Super 30 coaching centre, took to X on Monday to say he was “shaken” by the two latest suicides in Kota.

आज फिर से सिर्फ 4 घंटे के अंदर कोटा में 2 बच्चों के आत्महत्या की खबर ने मुझे हिलाकर रख दिया है | मैं तमाम कोचिंग संचालकों से यह अपील करता हूँ कि आप शिक्षा को सिर्फ आमदनी का जरिया नहीं बनाये और सभी बच्चों को अपना बच्चा समझकर उनपर ध्यान दें | और मैं विद्यार्थियों को समझाना चाहूँगा… pic.twitter.com/xV1w0Rva7B

— Anand Kumar (@teacheranand) August 28, 2023

“The news of the suicide of two children in Kota within just four hours has shaken me. I appeal to all the coaching operators that you should not make education only a source of income and pay attention to all the children considering them as your children,” he wrote in Hindi. In a message for students, Kumar said, “And I would like to explain to the students that any one test cannot define your talent. There is not one but many ways to be successful in life. At the same time, parents should not expect their children to fulfill their unfulfilled dreams”. Kota is now sprawled with 24×7 helpline numbers and special police booths for students. Many coaching centres have hired counsellors to address the growing crisis. However, as Ahla Matra, a psychologist, told Moneycontrol earlier_,_ “The mental health conversation should focus on prevention, not just intervention”. 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)