What is coaching? It is a center or an institution where experts train and guide students to achieve their goals. However, it seems that training and guidance are misoriented at Kota IIT-JEE coaching centers, as statistics indicate that around 118 students have taken their own lives since 2015. On average, 13 students die by suicide each year. In 2024, two students committed suicide: 17-year-old boy on January 23, and an 18-year-old girl on January 29, 2024.
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iCall helpline
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Children from different parts of the country flock to Kota for IIT-JEE coaching. Most of these students are very young, many under 20 years old, having just completed their intermediate (10+2). They arrive in Kota burdened with expectations from home. Moreover, parents send them to IIT-JEE coaching institutes in Kota with significant financial strain, adding further stress to the children. Most of these 12th-grade students live away from their parents, residing in guest houses or hostels with others. The environment is entirely new to them.
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A students room in Kota coaching classes
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Coaching classes run from Monday to Saturday, spanning 7 to 8 hours each day. At least three internal tests are conducted weekly, with a major test held on the last Sunday of each month. Even Sundays are occupied with remedial classes. Listening to lectures for such long hours and assimilating information is challenging. Students face daily pressure to memorize the material taught in class, and the pressure to perform well is immense. The coaching centers send results to parents, leading to strained parent-child interactions when marks are subpar. With no loved ones by their side, children often spiral into depression. They may resort to unhealthy habits to temporarily alleviate stress, but the damage has already been done by constant pressure and high expectations.
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Kota class room
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The high fees of coaching do not guarantee a stress-free life for children. Missing even a single day due to illness makes it difficult to catch up, as classes progress rapidly. The rigorous coaching schedule, with only one day off, leaves students with little time for self-care or relaxation. They are constantly under pressure. With no one to address their grievances, students retreat into themselves and refrain from opening up, even to their parents. All they hear from faculty members and parents is a demand for results, rather than concern for their well-being. They become so dispirited that suicide seems like the only option. Following the economic and time losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and coaching institutes are putting even more pressure on students to perform.
Reputation matters to both coaching centers and parents, but the lives of students seem to hold little value. What students urgently need are two days off each week, a supportive environment, access to counselors or psychiatrists, and parental support, which would provide a safety net for performance rather than a noose for suicide. Parents must be informed at coaching centers that not all IIT-JEE students secure lucrative jobs; many remain unemployed. The government should mandate these standards for coaching centers when communicating with parents, providing updates on the child's progress and offering guidance. Coaching centers, with annual earnings of 5000 crores, should be held accountable for the safety and well-being of children.
A simple solution like installing spring fans to prevent suicides in Kota's IIT-JEE coaching centers is inadequate. The real question is: why are states and coaching centers not adhering to the guidelines provided by the central government for the holistic well-being of students?
Students, your life is important; don't hesitate to call helpline numbers when you feel depressed.
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Asara Helpline
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