Student suicides: Kuchaman turning into another Kota?
At least three students studying in different coaching centres of Kuchaman City have committed suicide since last year. On May 17, a Class 12 student, who had taken coaching in Kuchaman, committed suicide after she failed to score 90% marks in RBSE examination
Academic stress, peer pressure and competition have started taking toll on the thousands of teenagers flocking to Kuchaman City from the remote corners of Nagaur district, which is gradually emerging into a Kota-like coaching hub for students preparing for Class 10 and 12 board examinations.
At least three students studying in different coaching centres of the town have committed suicide since last year. About two weeks ago, a Class 12 student, who had taken coaching in Kuchaman, committed suicide after she failed to score 90% marks in Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (science) examination, results for which were announced on May 17. The girl, Sunny Jawa, had scored 76%.
In a suicide note Jawa said: “I love you mom, dad…Sorry I could not meet your expectations. I am ending my life as pressure has started to get to me.”
Child rights activist Mahavir Sharma told HT that study and peer pressure leading students to harm themselves were the early warnings and it is about time that something was done to save students from becoming victims of this academic rat race.
According to police records, the two other coaching students of Kuchaman — Sanjana Kumawat and Sugna — who committed suicide last year were also suffering from mental stress due to academic pressure.
“Hundreds of coaching institutes have come up in this small town in the name of preparing students for Classes 10 and 12 board examinations. They are following the same pattern as the institutes in Kota preparing students for engineering and medical examinations,” said Arjan Singh Lomarod, the president of teachers’ association in Nagaur.
“There is no control over them (the institutes) by any administrative agency or government…They make their students to rote subject books like parrots and do not provide them any counselling or recreation to release stress,” he added.
More than 25 students have committed suicide over the last year in Kota. Six students have committed suicide this year prompting the government and administration to introduce a slew of corrective measures, including compulsory counselling of students, in Rajasthan’s coaching hub Kota.
Nagaur district collector Rajan Vishal told HT that he has ordered Kuchaman sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) to look into the matter and ensure appointment of clinical psychologists at each coaching institute to counsel students and help them overcome stress.
“I have asked him (SDM) to tell coaching institutes in the area to hold motivational seminars for parents and students and submit a monthly report at my office,” he said.