Kota Suicides: Debt burden on parents troubling students, says Rajasthan minister

JAIPUR: Expressing concern over the increase in student suicides in Kota, a Rajasthan minister on Monday said the education loan burden on parents is one of the causes of stress among the aspirants and the Centre must formulate a policy so that parents don't have to borrow money for education. Two students, preparing for competitive exams in Kota, ended their lives on Sunday, in a span of four hours.

According to authorities, 22 students have ended their lives so far in 2023 -- the highest for any year. Last year, the figure was 15. “The pressure of studies is there. Apart from this, several students have the burden of their parents having borrowed money for their studies. So, if they fail, what will happen to their parents," Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Mahesh Joshi told reporters in Jaipur. He said the students live away from their homes and parents and this too is an additional burden on them which leads to suicides.

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"The central government should make a policy regarding coaching institutes. There should be a system wherein parents do not have to take loans as it puts too much pressure on the students to succeed," he said. The students think, "What will happen (to my family) if I do not succeed" as their parents have taken huge loans to educate them, he said.

Over two lakh students move to Kota annually to prepare for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges. Earlier, authorities in Kota asked coaching institutes to stop conducting routine tests of students preparing for NEET and other competitive exams for the next two months in the wake of suicides by a number of aspirants.