Kota: Looking at the alarming number of coaching students' suicide cases the district administration of Kota, Rajasthan has directed the coaching institutes to announce full holidays on Sundays and stop conducting Sunday tests.
The district administration of Kota has asked the coaching institutes to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the administration to reduce the mental stress of students.
'The students have no time to relax as coaching institutes conduct Sunday tests. We have told them to give a full holiday to students on Sundays so that they can relax and divert themselves, " said district collector OP Bunkar after holding a meeting with officials of administration, police, and coaching and hostel owners on Saturday.
The collector has asked the institutes to conduct motivational sessions for students every week.
The collector said that all institutes, hostels, and PGs will have to conduct psychological tests every 15 days to get an idea of the mental health of the students.
'If any of the students are found with any mental health problems like stress or depression, he will be counseled and the information will be shared with his parents,' said Bunkar.
A guideline has also been issued for hostel operators for installing security devices in their hostels. A team of officials will monitor the implementation of the guideline.
Notably, Kota which is the hub for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants across the country is going through a serious problem of students suicide cases.
The toll of such incidents reached 20 on Thursday after a 17-year-old JEE aspirant allegedly died by suicide.
The data revealed that the number is equal to the total number of student suicides in Kota in 2018– the highest in the last eight years. According to the data, 15 students died by suicide in Kota in 2022, 18 in 2019, while the figure was 20 in 2018, seven in 2017, 17 in 2016, and 18 in 2015.
No cases of suicide were reported in the year 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Gehlot expresses concern
In the meantime, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot has expressed his concerns over the rising number of suicided cases of students. Addressing the youth in a public function in Jaipur he said that the suicides in Kota are a matter of sadness and concern. Twenty children committed suicide in eight months.
Sharing his example of courage and confidence Gehlot said, "I wanted to become a doctor, could not succeed but I did not lose courage, changed my path, became a social worker, entered politics and today I am in front of you."
'He advised the parents to not put pressure on the children and said that let them be what they want to be. There is so much pressure on the children and it is a serious matter of concern. Their counseling should be good.
