The Year 2023 Kota Factory student suicides hit highest in the year 2023

Known as India’s coaching hub for competitive exams, the city of Kota in Rajasthan attracts over 200,000 students every year. These students leave their homes to enroll in the city’s many coaching institutes with dreams of cracking exams like JEE and NEET and getting into the nation’s top engineering and medical colleges. However, the immense pressure of the constant coaching, cramming, and competing often takes a toll on the mental health of students.

The year 2023 witnessed the highest number of student suicides in Kota, with 26 students taking their own lives. This alarming figure has left the city’s administration and stakeholders desperately looking for solutions to prevent further young lives from being lost. As more students gear up to come to Kota in 2024, the true test will be in how effective the new preventive measures prove to be.

Story of Ramesh Kumar

For Ramesh Kumar (name changed) from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, 2023 was the worst year of his life. His family is still coming to terms with the loss of their elder son, who killed himself in a hostel room in Rajasthan’s Kota where he had been preparing for the medical entrance exam for the past two years.

Kumar’s son is among 26 coaching students who died by suicide this year in Kota, the highest-ever figure.

Mourning the loss of his son, Kumar has decided to bring back his younger son, who had moved to Kota earlier this year and was preparing for the engineering entrance exam JEE.

“They were living in separate hostels as they were enrolled in different coaching institutes. Our plan was that in 2024, my wife would move to Kota and rent a house so the three of them could live together and the children could prepare for the entrance exams in the comfort of home. I had never imagined that my son would not be there by then…,” he said.

“I wanted both my children to study at the best colleges and become doctors and engineers but not at the cost of their lives … We decided to call our younger son back to Bulandshahr and continue with his schooling here. We are not willing to take any further risk,” he added.

Overall suicide statistics

2023 has seen the highest number of student suicides in Kota, with 26 students taking their lives this year. This is a dramatic increase from 2022, when there were 15 student suicides.

Kota has become a hub for students across India preparing for competitive exams. Over 2 lakh students move to the city every year with the goal of getting into the country’s top engineering and medical colleges. They enroll in the city’s many coaching institutes to prepare for exams like JEE and NEET.

The intense pressure and competition in this coaching hub seems to be taking a toll, as evidenced by the rising student suicide rate. Stakeholders are searching for solutions to address the mental health crisis that students in Kota are facing.

Drivers of student stress

The spate of student suicides in Kota has brought to focus the immense pressure and stress that students face while preparing for competitive exams.

Students in Kota grapple with extremely packed schedules as they prepare for highly competitive exams like JEE and NEET. A typical day involves back-to-back coaching classes from early morning to late evening, leaving little time for recreation, rest or extracurricular activities. The grueling routine can take a severe toll mentally.

In addition, the cut-throat competition leads to constant pressure to perform well and score higher than other students in routine tests. Many perceive each test as a do-or-die situation. The fear of disappointing their parents adds to the stress. Students become disheartened and suffer from low self-esteem if they are unable to live up to high expectations.

Being away from their homes and families is another major challenge for students in Kota. Many come from small towns and villages. Staying without familial support in an unfamiliar city fuels homesickness. The lack of emotional anchor and comfort of home during times of anxiety further aggravates their struggle.

These myriad factors create an environment of extreme stress and anxiety which can have tragic consequences if students are unable to cope. Addressing these fundamental issues will be key to improving student welfare in Kota.

Story of Farheed Hussain

Farheed Hussain, a resident of West Bengal’s Birbhum district, is still seeking answers about what led his bright son to end his own life in Kota this year. Hussain’s son was an exemplary student who consistently scored well on coaching institute tests, with a few minor exceptions.

“He was a very bright student, I wanted him to be a doctor but never pressured him. He used to score well in the routine tests, barring a few… I don’t know why he was compelled to end his life then,” said Hussain, choking back tears.

Hussain only wanted the best for his children and dreamed they would become successful doctors and engineers. He never imagined this dream would end in tragedy for his family. The family is still struggling to comprehend what drove their talented and dedicated son down this dark path, leading to him taking his own life.

Preventive measures taken

Seeking desperate measures during a desperate time, the Kota administration and stakeholders of the coaching industry sprung into action and took various steps to prevent student suicides.

Among the preventive actions taken in 2023 were:

• Installation of anti-hanging devices in hostel room fans to prevent suicides by hanging. These devices have springs that expand if more than 20kg is hung on them, making it impossible to hang oneself. They also trigger an alarm when triggered.
• Installation of nets on balconies and lobbies of coaching centers and hostels. This prevents students from jumping off balconies.
• Restrictions on coaching centers publicizing the results of routine tests. This removes pressure on students related to test performance.
• Professional counseling and training for hostel staff to help them identify early signs of depression or suicidal tendencies in students. This allows early intervention.
• Roping in mess workers and tiffin providers to flag if a student repeatedly misses meals or leaves food untouched. This helps identify students struggling with anxiety or depression.
• Setting up of a dedicated student cell by the Kota police to proactively reach out to students and identify signs of stress or suicidal thoughts early on.

The year 2024 will reveal how effective these preventive measures are in reducing student suicides going forward. For now, the stakeholders have taken strong steps to address this mental health crisis faced by the city’s coaching students.

Installation of Anti-Hanging Devices

In an effort to prevent student suicides, the Kota administration mandated the installation of anti-hanging devices in all hostel room fans starting in August 2023.

These devices work by having a spring coil attached inside the fan. If more than 20 kilograms is hung from the fan, the spring expands and prevents hanging. The device also sets off a loud siren when triggered.

By making these devices mandatory, the administration hoped to make it physically impossible for students to hang themselves from ceiling fans, which had been a common method of suicide. While some hostels had previously discussed voluntarily installing the anti-hanging devices back in 2017, the record-high suicide rate in 2023 prompted the administration to make them compulsory for all hostels and paying guest facilities housing students.

Time will tell whether this measure is effective in curbing the tragic loss of young lives in Kota. For now, families like the Kumars and Hussains can only hope that the steps being taken lead to no more parents losing their children to suicide in the coaching hub.

Training for hostel staff

Wardens and staff members of hostels in Kota are being given professional training in mess management, psychological and behavioural counselling, and other aspects of students’ care to equip them to battle the rising number of suicides.

Three hostel associations in Kota — the Chambal Hostel Association, Coral Hostel Association and the Kota Hostels’ Association — signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jai Minesh Tribal University in Kota to design special Hostel Management certificate courses for the wardens and the staff members.

Involving mess staff

The mess workers and tiffin providers were roped in to help detect early signs of stress or depression among students. They were asked to flag any concerning absenteeism from the mess if a student repeatedly skipped meals. Additionally, the staff was instructed to report if a student’s tiffin was found unconsumed multiple times, which could indicate lack of appetite stemming from mental health issues. By getting the mess staff involved, the stakeholders aimed to leverage their close interactions with students at mealtimes to identify those who may be struggling or withdrawn. Having the staff keep an eye out for changes in eating habits was a way to get ahead of emerging problems before they escalated. Though a small measure, alerting authorities about uneaten food or missed mess hall visits was deemed a worthwhile effort to potentially save lives in Kota.

Conclusion

Overall, 2023 saw a desperate search for preventive measures to address the alarming rise in student suicides in Kota. While the efficacy of these measures remains to be seen, there are cautious signs of optimism for 2024.

The installation of anti-hanging devices, restrictions on test results, training for hostel staff, and involving mess workers to detect early signs of distress show a multi-pronged approach to tackling this complex issue. However, the core drivers of stress like parental expectations, competition, and homesickness persist. Much depends on how sensitively the measures are implemented on the ground.

The coming year will show whether creative solutions like engaging mess workers and targeted training for wardens yield results. Stakeholders seem open to out-of-the-box thinking during this public health crisis. There are hopes that the student cell started by the Kota Police will enable effective communication and support.

While the preventive steps aim to create a nurturing ecosystem, the onus lies on coaching institutes to promote healthy competition not cut-throat pressure. Most importantly, families need to recalibrate expectations and have open channels with children.

With cautious optimism and continued efforts, we hope to see lower student suicides in Kota in 2024. However, the focus must remain on addressing the deeper societal issues driving young people to take this irreversible step.