Kota: Suicide Capital Of India?
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-12-13 09:01:09
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
Three more
students allegedly committed suicide in Kota on Sunday, once again turning the
spotlight on the town in Kota which is famous as the tutorial capital of India.
Two of the students were from Bihar and the third was from MP. Two of them were
preparing for NEET and the other JEE. Although no suicide notes were found, it
is being reported that a can of rodenticide was found in the room of one of the
students.
Over the
years, Kota has also earned the dubious reputation of being the suicide capital
of India. More than1.5 lakh students from diverse backgrounds descend of the
city to prepare for the competitive exams for institutes that can take in only
a few thousand of them. There is immense pressure to perform which results in heavy
stress. Some students take the extreme step as they are unable to bear the
pressure. Although all reputed institutes have trained counsellors to guide
students when they face such stress or other mental issues, there is a conflict
of interest in this as the pressure to perform comes from the institutes themselves
who categorize students into star performers (who get extra facilities) and
more such categories. This always works against slow learners or those who
cannot cope up due to various other reasons.
While the
institutes alone cannot be blamed for the suicides, they have a major hand in
pushing the students to take the final step by indulging in unfair practices (the
list of such practices is long and includes bribing, poaching and segregation) and
not caring for a more holistic psychological and academic growth of the students.
Is it time now for the government to step in and regulate these institutes and
issue guidelines for transparent standard operating practices? One knows this
question is raised every time a student commits suicide in Kota but for how
long will these teaching shops be allowed to conduct their business in an
unregulated and opaque manner?
