Published by: Sukanya Nandy
Last updated: Oct 8, 2023 3:36 PM IST
The minister said the central government is working to ensure that students do not need coaching (File Photo)
Pradhan said that no lives should be lost and the Center is taking initiatives to ensure that coaching is not necessary and school education is sufficient
The alarming number of suicides among students at Kota coaching center is a sensitive issue and it is our collective responsibility to keep students stress-free, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, adding that the issue of fake schools cannot be ignored.
In an interview with PTI, Pradhan said that no lives should be lost and the Center is taking initiatives to ensure that coaching is not necessary and school education is sufficient.
Asked about the record number of student suicides in Kota in Rajasthan this year, Pradhan said, “It is a very sensitive issue. No lives should be lost. They are our children. They are not even adults and don’t even know what is happening to them. It is our collective responsibility to keep students stress-free.”
“There are enough positive models in the country, they need to be repeated…. through technology, through social reach, through care and guidance. NCERT is brainstorming on it, education department is also working on it. The state government is also coming out with various circulars and guidelines… but society needs to work together on implementation of this issue,” he said.
This year has seen the highest number of student suicides in the country’s coaching hub – 23 so far – with two ending their lives within the space of a few hours on August 27. Last year that number was 15.
More than 2.5 lakh students move to Kota every year to prepare for the engineering and medical entrance exams JEE and NEET. Several candidates enroll in schools in their home states and move to Kota to take coaching classes.
They only appear directly for board exams and do not attend full-time schools. The problem of ‘dummy schools’ has been raised by several experts who believe that not attending school hinders students’ personal growth and often leaves them feeling isolated and stressed. “The issue of dummy schools cannot be ignored. Though the number of such students is not very high compared to the total number of students, it is time for serious discussions and deliberations on this issue, Pradhan said.
The minister says that the central government is working to ensure that students do not need coaching. “We are making efforts and initiatives to ensure that coaching is not necessary and we have a progressive and student-centered education system. There are examples like Navodaya Vidyalayas where we see the good performance of students in competitive exams without coaching. So, it is a collective responsibility of central and state governments to ensure that school education is adequate,” he said.
No glorification of toppers, routine test results to be kept confidential, no segregation of students into special batches based on their rank and easy withdrawal and refund policy within 120 days are among the recommendations made in the recently issued guidelines of the Government of Rajasthan for coaching institutes.
The guidelines, which have been prepared in consultation with the coaching institutes and other stakeholders, also restrict institutions from encouraging students below Class 9 to take admission in coaching institutes for preparation for medical and engineering entrance exams.
With the record spike in suicide cases, the Kota government has taken several steps including mandating installation of anti-hanging device in ventilators and directing coaching institutes not to conduct any exam for two months.
The installation of anti-hanging systems was encouraged by the Kota Hostel Association in 2017 and was finally mandated by the district administration this year.
This is how the anti-suspension system works: when an object weighing more than 20 kg is hung on the fan, the attached spring expands, making it impossible for someone to commit suicide in this way. At the same time a siren goes off.
‘Anti-suicide nets’ are also being installed on balconies and lobbies of hostels in Kota to prevent students from taking extreme steps.
If you or someone you know needs help, call one 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)
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)