Coaching in Kota: Chorus grows for weekend offs, gaps between internal tests amid students suicides

KOTA: Classes for five days a week, weekend offs and not more than two internal tests in a week — chorus for these demands is growing among JEE and NEET aspirants here after three students died by suicide this month allegedly due to academic stress. For a student preparing for competitive exams here, the academic schedule would typically include classes for seven or eight hours from Monday to Saturday with a brief interval for refreshment, sometimes doubt sessions and remedial classes on Sundays, at least three internal tests during a week and one major test on the last Sunday of a month.

Often bogged down with the fast paced curriculum and the programme structure, students say they are always racing against time and even a day's break can push them behind thousands of other students. However, the recent cases of student suicides has brought back the focus on fixing the schedule to make it more student friendly. "Majority of students coming here begin to live away from their families for the first time. Having just one day off on Sunday is not enough to even adjust to that setting. At times, the day does not even give us the window to grasp what all was taught throughout the week," said Varsha B, a NEET aspirant from Maharashtra.

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Nishant Yadav from Haryana's Jhajjhar district feels there should be at least two offs in a week to not only help them relax but also keep pace with curriculum. "Life in Kota is like running on a treadmill. You can either get off or keep running but cannot slow down. There should be at least be two offs. Even adults need Saturday and Sunday offs, we are still teenagers who are seeing the outside world for the first time and then the constant pressure that each of the six days of classes and the internal tests through the week, one has to be on top of his or her game," he told PTI.

In 2015, the Rajasthan government had formulated guidelines for coaching centres which required them to keep the environment "stress free", make room for recreational activities for students at the centre and ensure that students get at least one day off in a week. The government had also told institutes to limit class sizes to a maximum of 80 students instead of the 200 students, which was the practice in most institutes then.

After the cases of three students dying by suicide last week came to light, the district administration issued fresh directions to ensure that there is stress-free environment for students and at least one weekly off is granted to them. Students, however, feel that it isn't enough. Afzal, a Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) aspirant from UP's Etawah district said, "The one day off we get is worthless because there is some or other test on Monday so the off is only about preparing for that. Even if there are measures available for recreation, who has the bandwidth to participate in those activities? There is a fun zone in my hostel but it is rarely used by anyone".

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Coaching institutions, however, feel it is not practically feasible to have two days off as the "goal JEE-NEET" demands exhaustive preparation. "We have to admit that the two exams are really tough and hence the preparation for them also needs to be of the same level. The curriculum plans are designed by experts keeping in mind the capabilities of students of the age group and remedial classes are regularly conducted to help them if they miss any lecture. Also there are thousands of students vying for one seat... so it's not practically feasible to have many off days," said representative of a noted coaching institution who did not wish to be identified.

Of the three students who died by suicide last week, NEET aspirant Ankush Anand (18) from and JEE aspirant Ujjwal Kumar (17) — both from Bihar — were found hanging from ceiling fans in their respective rooms at their paying guest (PG) accommodation on December 12, according to police. The third student, Pranav Verma (17), a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from Madhya Pradesh, allegedly consumed a poisonous substance in his hostel on December 11.

In the current year, a record two lakh students are enrolled and studying in various coaching institutions in Kota. According to police and district administration records, at least 14 students studying in coaching centres in the city died by suicide this year. No student suicide was reported in 2021 when the coaching centres here were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and students attended online classes from their homes. The number stood at 18 in 2019 and 20 in 2020.