Amid a rise in student suicides in India, stricter restrictions will be imposed on private schools in the northern city of Kota. BBC Hindi Service’s Vinit Curry spoke to students taking classes in Kota. They were feeling extreme pressure to pass the entrance exam to a prestigious university. 21-year-old Vijay (pseudonym) failed the medical school entrance exam three times. Vijay expected to pass the exam by studying at an expensive academy in Kota, Rajasthan, northern India. Like many other students, I thought of Kota as a place where dreams come true. Large billboards with the names, photos, and rankings of successful applicants are erected throughout Kota. More than 200,000 people live in hostels or rented accommodation to study in Kota. There are also students as young as 13 years old. Kota is famous as an academy town. The main goal is to be accepted into the best medical and engineering schools in India, where competition is fierce. There are 12 large academies and more than 50 small academies. Pride, pressure, anxiety Having a child accepted to a prestigious university is a source of pride for Indian parents. If you are eliminated, great disappointment follows. Academy fees are more than 100,000 Indian rupees (approximately 1.63 million won) per year, which is a huge burden for many families. However, admission to a prestigious engineering or medical school is a shortcut to getting a high-paying job. Vijay’s family living in the countryside is not well off. My father is a farmer. I always feel heavy because I’m afraid of disappointing my parents. “I used to lie to my parents about my test results,” Vijay confessed. He says his anxiety grew, his headaches and chest pains got worse, and he became suicidal after failing his exam for the second time. “I felt like I had no choice,” Vijay said. “I wasted my parents’ money and ruined their reputation,” he explained. “The pressure made me feel suicidal, but I kept those thoughts to myself.” However, she says she changed her mind after seeing Bollywood star Deepika Padukone talk about depression. Actress Padukone has spoken out publicly about how overwork is often glamorized and the negative effects it can have on mental health. Vijay saw that openness and gained the courage to ask for help from outside.
Vijay is currently receiving psychiatric treatment and said he is trying to take each day as it comes. Other students also spoke about the difficulties of studying abroad alone, high expectations from parents, peer pressure, fierce competition, and studying 14 hours a day. According to police data, more than 100 students have committed suicide in Kota in the past 10 years. At least 25 people took their lives this year alone, hitting an annual high. Even while I was visiting Kota, there was a case of suicide of a 15-year-old girl. It is not clear why the girl took her own life. After hearing the news of his daughter’s death, he spoke to the girl’s father who was coming to Kota. “My daughter never told us about her studies-related concerns,” he said, adding, “But she did tell us about the student suicide incident that occurred in Kota… I told her to focus on her studies.” Local newspaper Hindustan Times analyzed government statistics and found that most of the students who took their lives in Kota in 2023 were boys under the age of 18 preparing for medical exams. Mostly from low-income families, they came to Kota to study and were living alone. Adarsh Raji, who was born in a farming family and studied in Kota, also wanted to become a doctor. However, he committed suicide last August at the age of 18. Raj’s family was in deep shock. “We did not put any pressure on Raj. It seems that his low score in the exam led to depression and he took the extreme step,” said his uncle Harishankar, adding, “But suicide is not the solution.”
Regulations, helplines, mental health seminars
As student suicides increased in Kota recently, the Rajasthan government established stricter regulations for private academies. On September 29, guidelines were announced, including not recommending admission to students under the age of 14 and not disclosing test results. The importance of mental health seminars and related programs for students will also be further emphasized. Plans are also underway to put up more posters to promote the student helpline. In June, an 11-member team was formed under the leadership of senior police officer Chandrashiel to identify students showing signs of depression. “We go to hostels and talk to people to identify students whose behavior has changed,” he explained. “If we see red flags, we observe students and communicate with them, hostel managers and parents.”
Corona pandemic and isolation
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 worldwide. According to government statistics, more than 13,000 students in India took their own lives in 2021. This is a 4.5% increase compared to 2020. One instructor said that the number of students in one class at the academy can sometimes be up to 300, and that sometimes the instructor does not know the students’ names, which can make the children feel isolated. The COVID-19 pandemic and multiple lockdowns also had a significant impact. Nitin Vijay, managing director of Motion Education, a famous academy in India, said, “After Corona, students’ stress tolerance is weaker than before,” adding, “But it will improve over time.” Urmil Bakshi, who has worked in education for decades, agrees that the pandemic has affected students’ ability to communicate. However, Kota’s commercialization of the academy was also criticized for causing the current situation. Bakshi said, “There are hundreds of students in a class. The instructors don’t even know the names of all the students. Some students can’t make friends for fear that other students will find out their study methods and get ahead of them. Those kids are left alone.” said. Students in Kota live in more than 3,500 hostels and thousands of rental accommodations. This contributes enormously to the city’s economy. I decided to look into accommodation in Vigyan Nagar area of Kota. I went up the stairs along the unlit passageway and found myself on the second floor of an apartment where a student lived. I entered the old, cramped room next to the bathroom door. Arnav Anurag (18), who lives here, came to Kota to become a doctor, a dream he had since he was young. There were a few books stacked on the shelf and many more scattered on the bed. There was a laptop on one side and an air cooler on the other. There were clothes hanging behind the door and a periodic table poster on the wall. “It’s suffocating to be here,” Arnav said. However, he added in a confident voice, “If I pass the test, I can say this is where I studied and leave with confidence.” The new guidelines also include mandatory training for hostel managers and other staff in student accommodation, instructors and academy managers. We also established an “easy check-out and refund policy” for students experiencing difficulties. But Vijay said a total change was needed: “Let kids follow their passion.” “Parents need to tell their children that there is a world beyond engineering and medicine. Their lives are more important than anything else.”
