Student Suicides Rock Kota: How To Find Your Way Out Of Hopelessness — Guide From A Psychologist
More than 200,000 students reach Kota each year for coaching to crack competitive examinations. However, there has been a spate of suicides in the coaching hub over the years.
A 20-year-old student from Guna in Madhya Pradesh who had moved to Kota last May to prepare for the Joint Entrance Exam (engineering entrance test), died by suicide in his room on Wednesday. This shocker comes just a day after another JEE aspirant, a 19-year-old boy from Mahendragarh in Haryana, was found hanging in his hostel room.
The Guna student left behind a note that read, “I’m unable to study. I am preparing for the JEE exams, but it’s beyond me. Sorry.”
More than 200,000 students reach Kota each year for coaching to crack competitive examinations. However, there has been a spate of suicides in the coaching hub over the years — 16 in 2024 and 26 in 2023, according to an NDTV report — leading to concerns about the pressure students face.
The district administration reportedly attributed the dip in student suicides between 2023 and 2024, and to its direct intervention and supervision this year, which saw strict implementation of protocol and guidelines for coaching centres and hostels, and several additional initiatives to ensure a stress-free academic environment.
According to a study published in the Odisha Journal of Psychiatry, the students come to Kota from various places all over the country, and are away from their families and their immediate support. “It is important to make the students and their families aware of the availability of the online mental health support facilities (Tele-Manas services) and online consultation portals (e-Sanjeevani) developed by the Government of India, utilising which the students can avail mental health support at their doorstep,” says the report by scholars from the Department of Psychiatry, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow.
Insha Jagirdar, a psychologist and accomplished education counsellor, spoke to ABP Live about how parents, friends, and teachers can rally around distressed students preparing for tough competitions while being away from home. She also spoke about how students can stay healthy and avoid such tragedies that leave their families devastated forever.
ABP: Why do some students who willingly take up tough courses like preparing for IIT-JEE end up committing suicide?
Insha Jagirdar: Most of these students are conditioned to believe that clearing exams like the IIT-JEE is the only path to success in life. This belief is further cemented by rigorous advertising by coaching centres who sell these dreams to the naive minds of the students. However, the preparations can be overwhelming. The students are unable to face failure, and end up committing suicide.
ABP: How can parents who are far away know or keep a check on a student’s wellbeing?
Insha Jagirdar: The parents should check in on the students through regular phone calls and maintain a friendly relationship with them. They should make sure they discuss topics other than studies. They should encourage the student to share any problems he/she may be facing, and reassure the child that they will support them in every situation.
ABP: How can friends or fellow students help guard each other’s wellbeing?
Insha Jagirdar: Students should try to spend time together and share their problems with each other so that they feel heard. They can also try to help each other with topics they struggle with. They can spend time on leisure activities.
ABP: How to beat exam stress? Can you share pointers for the struggling students, please?
Insha Jagirdar: Sure. There are several practical steps to achieve this.
- Practise meditation and exercise regularly.
- Dedicate at least an hour to a non-academic hobby or activity daily.
- Do not look at an exam as your last chance to succeed in life.
- Ensure you get a good night’s sleep.
- Prepare a timetable and follow it.
- Add regular breaks in your schedule.
- Set realistic goals.
- Focus on one task at a time.
To the students who feel overwhelmed and on the brink when failure or fear of failing stares them in the eye, there is something that they need to hear and understand: Remember, your worth is far greater than any exam result. This moment of pain will pass, and you have the strength to rebuild and thrive. Do not forget that you are loved, needed, and capable of creating a brighter future. Don’t let this temporary setback steal the countless possibilities ahead.
The writer is a senior independent journalist.
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