Not so premier? What must the IITs do to tackle death by suicides

Two broad perspectives are critical in understanding suicides in IITs — structural deficiencies in the institutions and the attitudes and skills of a student

The frequency of deaths by suicide in the Indian Institutes of Technologies — 16 in the last 12 months alone; the last took place on January 18, when a doctoral student of chemical engineering was found in her hostel room in IIT-Kanpur — casts a shadow on the reputation of the institutes, and left us collectively wondering about the well-being of the nation’s youth enrolled in them. A student/scholar suicide is often followed by protests and demands for change, the institute administration undertakes measures, but the chain of events recurs. We are not doing enough to address the complex problem of suicide and mental well-being. The circumstances necessitate systemic shifts in how higher education institutes, in general, and premier institutes like the IITs, in particular, understand and approach the problem.

The frequency of deaths by suicide in the Indian Institutes of Technologies casts a shadow on the reputation of the institutes and left us collectively wondering about the well-being of the nation’s youth enrolled in them (For Representation)

Two broad perspectives are critical in understanding suicides in IITs. On the one hand, the structural deficiencies in the nature and working of IITs create academic pressure, inequity, caste-based discrimination and unhealthy competition, and opaque and asymmetric guide-student relations, that play a major role in shaping student life on campus. On the other hand, the skills, attitudes, and values with which a student starts his/her life on campus are critical factors. Broader social issues like substance abuse, misogyny, and toxicity in parenting and relationships, also play a role. A strategy for systemic shifts in dealing with suicides and mental health at IITs requires cognizance of the multi-dimensional and interrelated nature of the problem.

Substantive student participation

Making institutional arrangements for the participation of students in policies and interventions related to mental health should be at the core of any suicide prevention strategy. This shall help the IITs contextualise and align their general and mental-health-specific policies with student realities while clearing the air of antagonism between students and administration. For instance, the faculty advisor, a faculty member assigned to each student to guide and oversee his/her academic matters, is envisioned as an important person in the life of an IIT student. But, in practice, due to ineffective orientation and accountability mechanisms, their role is largely peripheral. On the other hand, peer counselling models like Mitr (IIT Madras) and buddy systems at the institute and department level are often helpful to struggling students.

Evaluation and feedback systems should be integrated scientifically into the design of every project/ policy. Exchange of learning between IITs as well as seeking research support within and outside the IIT ecosystem, are critical given the complex nature of the problem.

Outlook on diversity and inclusion

The skewed social demographics of faculty and students as well as the ill-informed prejudices on reservation (whether caste, backward community, gender or disability) have compromised the well-being of students from marginalised identities on the campus. Thus, institutional interventions that cater to the needs of underprivileged students in academic and non-academic spheres have to be strengthened — reservation alone is not enough. Specific interventions like building awareness on diversity, and ensuring social equity amongst students as well as faculty and staff are needed. Non-academic interventions are often overlooked: cultural clubs on campuses should diversify their functioning to ensure that students from marginalised identities are in a position to access and contribute to the cultural milieu of the campus.

Integrating life skills with curriculum

Building social, self-regulatory (intra-personal) skills and attitudes amongst fresher students and scholars is instrumental in addressing the personal dimension of the mental health conundrum facing the IITs. It’s important to note that most of the IITians join after intense preparations in the entrance coaching ecosystem — which has also come under scrutiny over mental health conditions and suicides in recent times. Global discourses on the future of education, like the ‘Education 4.0’ framework by the World Economic Forum, point towards the importance of non-domain skills. While there is increased consensus on soft skills (as reflected in the National Education Policy and several UGC guidelines), the challenge lies in developing an effective syllabus and pedagogy for such interventions.

A case in point is the ‘Life Skills’ course offered to fresher students in IIT Madras since 2013-14, which has a set of modules connected with mental health such as ‘Tools for Life: Enhancing Physical, Emotional and Mental Health, Cross-Cultural Understanding and The Competition Mindset’, among others, which are taught to students through activities, videos and lectures. However, this course does not have the impact that it could, because learning outcomes are not tracked.

Keep a check, incentivise

Evaluation and feedback systems should be integrated into the design of every project/ policy. The NIRF rankings under the Ministry of Education have evolved as a reputed and credible framework to rate the performance of higher education institutes in the country. It also offers an opportunity for the state to push the cause for mental health and the prevention of suicides in the higher education system. Currently, the NIRF doesn’t cover any parameters to assess efforts made by institutes toward the mental well-being of students or the actual status of mental health among the student community. By developing relevant indicators and assigning appropriate weight to mental health in the NIR Framework, the state can set the standard in the area while incentivizing IITs and other Higher Education Institutions to develop innovative solutions to the suicide conundrum.

Biyas Muhammed is an alumnus of IIT Madras (2014-19), IIM Kozhikode (2021-23) and a co-founder of Nayaneethi Policy Collective, a social sector startup based in Kerala working in the education and skill development sectors. The author served as a student coordinator of 'Mitr', a student wellness body under IIT Madras and as a department buddy mentor. The views expressed are personal