E-Paper
Suicide in IIT-K: Expectation beyond ability
FOR THE first time the faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) has come under attack from students extremely hurt by another suicide on the campus. Soon after the proceedings were wound up at hostel room, students who had assembled at the Health Centre asked professors and other officials if they wanted to put students under severe stress and strain of studies. They blamed the authorities for introducing ?abnormally? tough teaching schedule in order to ensure high standards.
FOR THE first time the faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) has come under attack from students extremely hurt by another suicide on the campus.
Soon after the proceedings were wound up at hostel room, students who had assembled at the Health Centre asked professors and other officials if they wanted to put students under severe stress and strain of studies. They blamed the authorities for introducing “abnormally” tough teaching schedule in order to ensure high standards.
The issue becomes pertinent when the IIT-Kanpur faces second suicide in less than six months primarily because of the academic stress the students were undergoing. Even the faculty members giving a patient hearing to students, too, aren’t indifferent to the general view. The students are bluntly telling them that the way to push them hard to touch the level of excellence was really taking a toll on them.
“First Swapnil and now Shailesh, how many lives will be lost to tough ways of teaching,” students demanded to know. One of the closest friends of the deceased pleading anonymity said, “Shailesh was a vey jovial boy. He used to make us laugh all the time. His humorous talks and fine jokes used to keep us away from boring phases of serous studies. We never expected a boy with such a cheerful nature will ever commit suicide.”
He told the HT that he had never complained of any problem with regard to his studies. He was fully satisfied with his performance in the examination which had just finished on May 2. But two days ago he had come to know that he was given ‘F’ mark in two subjects and he had just cut off from all his friends. “He even did not meet me while he used to sit with me everyday before going to sleep.”
They said he had good placement opportunities but he wanted to go for higher studies. Many other students of the instituted reacted sharply to the study burden thrust upon them.
They said that some of the faculty members needed high order of perfection from students without considering the capability of each student. Students said in fact the manner in which the Institute wanted the students to excel in the field of engineering to compete with global scenario was really “too much” and this expectation of the institute has been proving fatal for the students.
