Showing posts with label RTI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RTI. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
95 - 25th Dec 2010 - No IIT Kanpur inquiry into student suicides
Date 25 Dec 2010 13:35:04 IST , NDTV
Despite suicides by a number of students at IIT Kanpur in the last five years, one of the country's premier institutes has not constituted any inquiry committee to probe the causes of the extreme steps taken by its students, an RTI inquiry revealed on Thursday.
The RTI application was filed by PTI seeking details from the institute's authorities regarding the number students who committed suicide, the reports of the inquiry committees formed after each suicide and the preventive measures taken after the incidents.
The response to the application stated that the concerned authorities did not have any information about the reasons behind the suicides of the eight IITians that took place over a five-year period from 2005-2010.
"No inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the cause behind these suicides but a fact finding committee led by a senior professor has been formed to suffice the purpose," IIT Kanpur Director Professor Sanjay Govind Dhande said.
He said the task of the fact finding committee is to inspect if any student or faculty member is responsible for the incidents of suicide, but no such case has come up so far.
However, Ghande declined to comment on the report prepared by the committee, saying it is an internal matter of the institution.
According to the response to the RTI application, among the eight students who committed suicide, five killed themselves by hanging from ceiling fans, one by jumping from the terrace of the faculty building and the two by jumping before a train and consuming poison respectively.
More than a month has passed since Madhuri Sale, a final year BTech student of the institute was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room here.
But no progress has been made in this regard.
"A counseling centre has been formed at the premises of the institute to de-stress the students and help them solve their problems. Besides this, several social and entertainment programmes like galaxy, spectrum and yoga classes were also organised at regular intervals for the students," he said in reply to the query regarding the steps taken to prevent any further suicides.
He said the students focus less on their studies following the freedom they enjoy in the institution and those who committed suicide took the step after they were unable to bear academic pressure.
The RTI application was filed by PTI seeking details from the institute's authorities regarding the number students who committed suicide, the reports of the inquiry committees formed after each suicide and the preventive measures taken after the incidents.
The response to the application stated that the concerned authorities did not have any information about the reasons behind the suicides of the eight IITians that took place over a five-year period from 2005-2010.
"No inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the cause behind these suicides but a fact finding committee led by a senior professor has been formed to suffice the purpose," IIT Kanpur Director Professor Sanjay Govind Dhande said.
He said the task of the fact finding committee is to inspect if any student or faculty member is responsible for the incidents of suicide, but no such case has come up so far.
However, Ghande declined to comment on the report prepared by the committee, saying it is an internal matter of the institution.
According to the response to the RTI application, among the eight students who committed suicide, five killed themselves by hanging from ceiling fans, one by jumping from the terrace of the faculty building and the two by jumping before a train and consuming poison respectively.
More than a month has passed since Madhuri Sale, a final year BTech student of the institute was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room here.
But no progress has been made in this regard.
"A counseling centre has been formed at the premises of the institute to de-stress the students and help them solve their problems. Besides this, several social and entertainment programmes like galaxy, spectrum and yoga classes were also organised at regular intervals for the students," he said in reply to the query regarding the steps taken to prevent any further suicides.
He said the students focus less on their studies following the freedom they enjoy in the institution and those who committed suicide took the step after they were unable to bear academic pressure.
94 - 23rd Dec 2010 - No inquiry committee to probe IIT-Kanpur suicides RTI- Deccan Herald
Kanpur, Dec 23, PTI:
Despite suicides by a number of students at IIT Kanpur in the last five years, one of the country's premier institutes has not constituted any inquiry committee to probe the causes of the extreme steps taken by its students, an RTI inquiry revealed today.
The RTI application was filed by PTI seeking details from the institute's authorities regarding the number students who committed suicide, the reports of the inquiry committees formed after each suicide and the preventive measures taken after the incidents.
The response to the application stated that the concerned authorities did not have any information about the reasons behind the suicides of the eight IITians that took place over a five-year period from 2005-2010.
"No inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the cause behind these suicides but a fact finding committee led by a senior professor has been formed to suffice the purpose," IIT Kanpur Director Professor Sanjay Govind Ghande said.
He said the task of the fact finding committee is to inspect if any student or faculty member is responsible for the incidents of suicide, but no such case has come up so far.
However, Ghande declined to comment on the report prepared by the committee, saying it is an internal matter of the institution.
According to the response to the RTI application, among the eight students who committed suicide, five killed themselves by hanging from ceiling fans, one by jumping from the terrace of the faculty building and the two by jumping before a train and consuming poison respectively.
More than a month has passed since Madhuri Sale, a final year BTech student of the institute was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room here. But no progress has been made in this regard.
"A counselling centre has been formed at the premises of the institute to de-stress the students and help them solve their problems. Besides this, several social and entertainment programmes like galaxy, spectrum and yoga classes were also organised at regular intervals for the students," he said in reply to the query regarding the steps taken to prevent any further suicides.
He said the students focus less on their studies following the freedom they enjoy in the institution and those who committed suicide took the step after they were unable to bear academic pressure.
Despite suicides by a number of students at IIT Kanpur in the last five years, one of the country's premier institutes has not constituted any inquiry committee to probe the causes of the extreme steps taken by its students, an RTI inquiry revealed today.
The RTI application was filed by PTI seeking details from the institute's authorities regarding the number students who committed suicide, the reports of the inquiry committees formed after each suicide and the preventive measures taken after the incidents.
The response to the application stated that the concerned authorities did not have any information about the reasons behind the suicides of the eight IITians that took place over a five-year period from 2005-2010.
"No inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the cause behind these suicides but a fact finding committee led by a senior professor has been formed to suffice the purpose," IIT Kanpur Director Professor Sanjay Govind Ghande said.
He said the task of the fact finding committee is to inspect if any student or faculty member is responsible for the incidents of suicide, but no such case has come up so far.
However, Ghande declined to comment on the report prepared by the committee, saying it is an internal matter of the institution.
According to the response to the RTI application, among the eight students who committed suicide, five killed themselves by hanging from ceiling fans, one by jumping from the terrace of the faculty building and the two by jumping before a train and consuming poison respectively.
More than a month has passed since Madhuri Sale, a final year BTech student of the institute was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room here. But no progress has been made in this regard.
"A counselling centre has been formed at the premises of the institute to de-stress the students and help them solve their problems. Besides this, several social and entertainment programmes like galaxy, spectrum and yoga classes were also organised at regular intervals for the students," he said in reply to the query regarding the steps taken to prevent any further suicides.
He said the students focus less on their studies following the freedom they enjoy in the institution and those who committed suicide took the step after they were unable to bear academic pressure.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
43 - 4th July 2008 - IIT blames Internet for suicides - Amity Lounge
LUCKNOW: The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) has blamed enormous Internet surfing and constant use of mobile phones by the students for increasing number of suicides on the campus, officials said.
In a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed June 2 by the institute's alumni association, the premier institute said that as students are in regular touch with their family members, friends and relatives, several thoughts occupy them.
Do you feel that Internet causing suicides in IIT-K? Write in.
This in turn, at times, disturbs the students, who do not get peaceful time to study. And later, they take the extreme step for not performing well in the exams.
Earlier, when the mobile phones were not so popular, the students were not able to stay in touch with their families and hence got time to study, officials said.
Also, Internet surfing exposes the students to several sites having information that can cause a negative impact on the minds, leading students to suicides, officials added.
In another reply about the number of suicides, IIT-K said that till date six students of the institute have committed suicide.
Omendra Bharat, an IIT alumni, filed the RTI application to seek information on 14 issues, including the academic norms fixed for preparing the semester result of the students.
The RTI application was filed following the suicide by a student, Ritika Toya Chatterjee.
She killed herself May 30 after she failed in two of her final semester exams, despite having offers to join any of the six Indian Institutes of Management.
"Information regarding the semester grading of students and Ritika's grading is still to be provided along with the reply of twelve other questions we filed through RTI," said Bharat.
In a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed June 2 by the institute's alumni association, the premier institute said that as students are in regular touch with their family members, friends and relatives, several thoughts occupy them.
Do you feel that Internet causing suicides in IIT-K? Write in.
This in turn, at times, disturbs the students, who do not get peaceful time to study. And later, they take the extreme step for not performing well in the exams.
Earlier, when the mobile phones were not so popular, the students were not able to stay in touch with their families and hence got time to study, officials said.
Also, Internet surfing exposes the students to several sites having information that can cause a negative impact on the minds, leading students to suicides, officials added.
In another reply about the number of suicides, IIT-K said that till date six students of the institute have committed suicide.
Omendra Bharat, an IIT alumni, filed the RTI application to seek information on 14 issues, including the academic norms fixed for preparing the semester result of the students.
The RTI application was filed following the suicide by a student, Ritika Toya Chatterjee.
She killed herself May 30 after she failed in two of her final semester exams, despite having offers to join any of the six Indian Institutes of Management.
"Information regarding the semester grading of students and Ritika's grading is still to be provided along with the reply of twelve other questions we filed through RTI," said Bharat.
41 - 1st July 2008 - IIT-K blames Internet, cellphones for student suicides - IBN Live
Abhishek Patni
posted 1st July 2008
Lucknow: The increasing number of students committing suicide in the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur — one of India’s best engineering colleges — has put the premier institute under the scanner once again.
Alarmed by the increase in suicides — six in last three years — a group of IITians filed an application under the Right to Information Act to find out what was causing the students to take the extreme step.
And the engineering institute’s reply has left the students shocked and surprised.
"What is the reason for suicide? The answer was Internet, mobile phones etc," former IIT-Kanpur student Omendra Bharat said.
The IIT stated that modernisation, social imbalance, irrational use of Internet and mobile phones as the chief reasons. It adds that parents are putting pressure on their children to achieve success at any cost.
"Parents can keep in touch with their sons and daughters on campus. Maybe there can be pressure from various parts of the society because you’re easily connected," IIT-Kanpur Dean Partha Chakraborty justified.
But IIT students have rejected the argument.
But IIT students have rejected the argument.
"This is totally baseless In fact when there is pressure will talk to parents," IIT-Kanpur student Pratibha said.
Citing excessive usage of mobile phone as one of the reasons for growing suicides in IIT sounds quite bizarre. Perhaps IIT-Kanpur could help the students cause by easing the academic pressure and also changing the grading system.
Citing excessive usage of mobile phone as one of the reasons for growing suicides in IIT sounds quite bizarre. Perhaps IIT-Kanpur could help the students cause by easing the academic pressure and also changing the grading system.
Friday, June 3, 2011
40 - 8th June 2008 - Academic pressure' led to five suicides in three years in IIT Kanpur - India Forums
Sunday June 08 , 2006
Lucknow, June 8 (IANS) The suicide by Ritika Toya Chatterjee, a B.Tech final year student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), is the fifth in three years that is being blamed on a 'hush-hush grading system' and a 'poor grievance redressal mechanism'.
Lucknow, June 8 (IANS) The suicide by Ritika Toya Chatterjee, a B.Tech final year student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K), is the fifth in three years that is being blamed on a 'hush-hush grading system' and a 'poor grievance redressal mechanism'.
Ritika killed herself May 30 after she failed in two of her final semester exams, despite having offers to join any of the six Indian Institutes of Management she wanted to. Ritika's suicide was nothing new for IIT-K. It was the second in 45 days and seventh in three years. Five of the seven suicides were due to failure in exams.
Now the IIT-K alumni association is up in arms against the institute's administration over the evaluation of answer scripts.
'Primarily, the hush-hush evaluation and grading system in exams, besides the poor grievance redressal mechanism for students and unfriendly nature of some teachers, has been taking a heavy toll on the students of IIT-K,' founder member of IIT-K alumni association Omendra Bharat told IANS.
He said Ritika's suicide had once again put the institute's evaluation system under the scanner.
'If a student like Ritika, who had cleared the written exams and the interviews of all the six IIMs can fail, you need not look for more evidence to expose the irregularities in IIT-K's evaluation and grading system,' reasoned Bharat.
An angry alumni association has sought Ritika's results from the institute under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.
The association has also sought results of all the students who had committed suicide after failing the exams.
'We have learnt that 11 out of 14 students of the Biology Science and Bio-Engineering (BSBE) Department, where Ritika studied, failed this year despite many of them getting over 56 percent,' said Bharat.
He asserted that the information that would be available thanks to the RTI Act would show that IIT-K had been despotic in giving 'F' (Fail) grades to students who score even 60 percent and not giving any reason for the failure.
Meanwhile, speaking to IANS, IIT-K students also attributed the suicides to the 'unnecessary academic pressure being created by a few professors' of the institute.
'Some teachers tend to create pressure on students by giving them last-minute assignments before the exams,' said Akshat Chandra, a former student.
Akshat, who took admission to IIT-K about three years ago in a five-year integrated M.Sc course, dropped out in his second year as he was not able to cope with the pressure.
'I was not able to cope with the pressure delivered by the assignments and projects and ultimately decided to quit,' said Akshat, who is now studying for his MBA from an institute in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Citing another example, the students said that some professors were in the habit of warning students that they will fail in the exams.
'In fact, a few months back, a professor of the civil engineering department had sent an e-mail to the students that contained names of the students who were likely to get `F' (Fail) grade in the exams,' said B.Tech third year student Sarthak Kumar.
A batch-mate of Ritika who did not want to be identified said that students lost faith in themselves due to regular taunts by the teachers
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