Editorial: Killing fields of Kota

The education ecosystem that shuts the doors on alternative career avenues is to be blamed for the sorry state of affairs

The recent suicide by a minor student in Rajasthan’s Kota, the 26th such case this year so far, is a grim reminder of what the toxic environment of coaching factories can do to young minds. The country’s coaching hub has become a killing field where dreams die at the altar of unreasonable expectations fueled by parental and peer pressure. The death of a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, who was preparing for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), is shocking beyond words. What is tragic is that the student suicides will soon become cold statistics in government records and it is business as usual again. The suicides by teenagers and minors, studying in the city’s numerous coaching centres that prepare them for admission to engineering, medical and technical colleges, continue unabated. The combination of rigorous test preparation, long study hours, and parental expectations exert great pressure on the mental well-being of students. Nearly two lakh students from all over India are enrolled in Kota’s coaching centres to pursue their dreams. Every year, the coaching institutes hold roadshows with garlanded students perched atop jeeps. However, the media highlights the success stories of only those who make it to elite institutions while the struggles and miseries of thousands of aspirants remain untold and unaddressed. The entire education ecosystem that puts a premium on success and shuts the doors on alternative career avenues is to be blamed for the sorry state of affairs.

Driven by business growth and profits, most of the coaching institutes are not bothered about the welfare of students. The coaching market in the city is pegged at around Rs 6,000 crore. For students, many of whom come from modest economic backgrounds, a lot is at stake. Moreover, the student-teacher ratio in these coaching factories is also very low. A recent study revealed that four out of 10 students in Kota were struggling with depression and eight out of 10 were anxious or stressed. Despite some recent measures taken by the authorities and coaching institutes, there is a growing need for comprehensive mental health support and guidance to address the crisis. Successive governments have failed to take corrective steps to arrest the ominous trend and rein in the coaching factories. A shocking apathy marks the general reaction of society. No modern society should treat the deaths of young people as collateral damage. If one has to understand the gravity of the problem of student pressure in India, one needs to look at the numbers pertaining to the IIT-JEE, arguably one of the toughest entrance examinations in the world. Only 0.04% of the total candidates who take the test will end up getting admission. Unless the basket of opportunities is expanded, the problems of anxiety and pressure will continue to play havoc with students’ mental health.

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