A discussion on the rising suicide cases in Rajasthan’s Kota took place on Monday, and resolutions regarding ‘Half-day study, half-day fun’ on one weekday, the identification of pupils with suicidal tendencies, and psychological counselling were among the outcomes.
According to officials, representatives from coaching facilities and hostel associations joined the meeting via video conference and was presided over by Bhawani Singh Detha, principal secretary (higher and technical education).
Detha also serves as the head of a committee established by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to investigate the matter. On September 2, the committee will travel to Kota to assess the situation.
In an effort to lighten the load of coursework on students, coaching institutes have been instructed to assemble a committee of subject specialists, among other decisions made at the meeting.
For the benefit of all students, the institutes have also been requested to host online motivational sessions with specialists and post the results on social media.
The coaching institutes will hold ‘half-day study, half-day fun’ sessions every Wednesday, according to the officials, and they won’t administer any standard tests for the following two days.
A form will be created for coaching students to complete each day in order to gauge their mental health.
In addition, officials claimed they will identify those who skip routine exams and underperformers and offer them psychological assistance.
Two NEET candidates committed suicide on Sunday, the day before the conference.
Kota Collector OP Bunkar, SP Sharad Chaudhary, Additional Collector (Administration), Rajkumar Singh, and Additional SP Bhagwat Singh Hingad were among the other representatives who were present at the meeting.
After the meeting on Monday afternoon, Kota district collector Bunkar told reporters, ‘It is a frightening scenario as so many students are committing suicide.’
He said that the purpose of the initial meeting was to talk about both immediate and long-term solutions to the rising suicide rates.
According to Bunkar, the agreement on immediate and long-term steps made in the meeting to review suicide instances will help students decompress and foster a positive environment.
SP Choudhary of Kota City suggested building a special police facility for students.
‘As an expansion of students’ police helpdesk is already functional, I gave the idea of setting up a police station for students in Kota to address their concerns,’ Chaudhary told reporters.
The state government would be notified of the draught plan for a dedicated police station for students in the coming days, according to the SP (City).
Gehlot called a meeting of all the interested parties on August 18 and instructed them to form the Detha-led committee, which will present its report within 15 days.
On Sunday, within the course of four hours, two students in Kota who were studying for competitive exams committed suicide. Authorities report that 24 students have committed suicide so far in 2023, the most of any year. The amount was 15 the previous year.
Every year, more than two lakh students travel to Kota, a coaching centre, to study for competitive tests like the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical schools and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to engineering schools.
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