In the wake of 20 cases of suicide by students in Kota, the IIT coaching hub, reported since January 1 this year, the Rajasthan government set up a panel comprising educationist experts and representatives of stakeholders to carry out a detailed inquiry into the incidents.

The panel has been mandated to submit its report on the causes of the deaths within 15 days. It will go into the major issues confronting the students, like parental or peer pressure on performance, loneliness, stress, inhospitable environment at PG centres or hostels, etc.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, during a high-level interactive meeting (Samvad) with various stake holders, owners of coaching institutes and concerned ministers last night, formed the committee to suggest measures to be taken to contain for the prevention of suicide cases.

During a two-hour dialogue with operators of coaching centres, the CM asked them to provide a stress-free and congenial environment to the students on priority.

As per the the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 2021, more than 13,000 cases of suicides of students were registered across the country. Maharashtra topped the list of student suicides with a maximum of number of 1,834 cases, followed by 1,308 cases in Madhya Pradesh, 1,246 in Tamil Nadu, 855 in Karnataka and 834 in Odisha.

“In Rajasthan, though the figure was 633, which is too less as compared to other states, the state government is serious about the issue,” the chief minister assured.

The committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of principal secretary, Higher and Technical Education Bhawani Detha to probe the phenomenon of student suicide and suggest preventive measures.

In the interactive session, all stakeholders expressed their concern for the students studying in the coaching institutes who have to adapt to a new environment away from home and hearth, their living conditions in PGs, balancing between coaching hours and regular studies, pressure of performance and mental stress.

They also discussed monitoring the mood of the students, providing them with sports facilities in and around the coaching institutes to ward off drug addiction, easy exit and fee refund policy.

The CM said after Kota, districts like Jaipur, Sikar, Jodhpur and Bikaner are developing as coaching hubs. Coaching institutes are making new employment accessible to students and thereby giving a boost to the state economy.

“More than 30,000 students benefited from the state government’s Anupriti Coaching Scheme. However, the state government lowers its guard towards the issues confronting the students, especially their health and safety,” he said.

Gehlot assured that the issues will be solved by effective coordination and collective efforts of the coaching institutes, parents, hostel-PG and administration.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Saxena, a veteran journalist from the Hadoti region, told The Statesman that over 2.50 lakh students were enrolled with about 30 coaching institutes (including 12 major Institutes) in Kota alone this season. “In the last eight months, 20 students (including a few girls) allegedly committed suicide probably due to homesickness, family pressure, tough study manual and study hours at the Institutes,” Saxena said.

Education Minister Dr. B D Kalla, Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Minister of State for Higher Education Rajendra Singh Yadav, Minister of State for Education Zahida Khan, Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, Director General of Police Umesh Mishra, ADG Crime Dinesh MN, Government Secretary School Education Mr. Naveen Jain,  Ravi Surpur, Commissioner of Commercial Tax Department, Dr. Alok Tyagi, Senior Professor of Psychiatry also shared their views on the issue during the meeting.