Shoeb Khan | TNN | Updated: Mar 22, 2017,
AIPUR: The state government has engaged Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, to investigate the reasons behind high suicide rates and stress levels amongst students in the coaching town of Kota.
The move follows the failure of the district administration in curbing rampant suicides among IIT and medical aspirants here. The town had recorded 32 suicides in the last two years, 15 in 2016 and 17 in 2015. The city has over 1.5 lakh students enrolled in various coaching institutes from the across the country.
The TISS team is using direct and indirect research methodologies for the study, which is the first of its kind. The institute is carrying out the first round of data collection at coaching institutes, hostels, clinical psychologist, mess and other hangout places. They have prepared questionnaires and are conducting interviews to dig out information in different categories behind the suicides and stress. The second round will begin in the first week of April and the report is likely to submit to the state government in the next three months.
"The administration is extending all the necessary support required for the report. The empirical data will help us discover the cause of suicides and stress amongst students and also solutions required for the same. The team is also studying the impact of interventions made by the local administration by introducing-Masti-ki-Pathshala and a book for them," said Ravi Kumar Surpur, district collector, Kota. The report will be submitted to the state government for formulating a policy for the same. It will be an eye opener for the parents and policy makers who have largely contributed in stressing out students.
TISS is also studying the profiles of students who had committed suicide. The youngest among them was a 14-year-old class 9 student, who was four years away from the entrance exam.
