Drugs, sex, stress: Kota more than "coaching capital" of India
Since years, Kota has been the go-to destination for young IIT aspirants, but its claim to fame is turning dark. Kota is now famous as a hotbed of student suicides: during 2013-2017, at least 58 coaching students killed themselves. Last year, the Rajasthan government roped in Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to analyze the trend. The findings are alarming.
The rise of Kota as a coaching hub
Kota's booming business started in 1985, when VK Bansal, an engineer, set up Bansal Classes to coach students; it eventually became Bansal Classes Pvt Ltd. The brand now has presence in 30 Indian cities. Over the years, many of Bansal's faculty members went on to set up their own institutes, like Resonance, Allen and Vibrant. Some even offer coaching to get admission into Bansal.
For most students, it's two years of intense pressure
Every year, 1.5-2L students move to Kota right after their Class 10 exams for engineering or medical coaching. They have to live with 18-hour study schedules, no relaxation, and unhygienic hostel/PG food, and do all this while staying out of home generally for the first time. The high-pressure lifestyle often triggers destructive behavior patterns like substance abuse, bullying, sexual experimentation, loneliness and anxiety.
Instead of helping, coaching centers add to it
The attitude of coaching centers adds to the burden. Annual fees go up to Rs. 1.5L, and there's no refund policy if a student wants out. Each class has hundreds of students. Batches are segregated based on academic performance, maintaining a distinction between "toppers" and "weak students." Ironically, though institutes advertize their toppers, they reportedly didn't divulge their actual success rate to TISS researchers.
Many students had similar mental and emotional health problems
Unsurprisingly, 49% respondents of TISS' survey reported feeling nervous and worried; 42% said their friends were nervous. 32% said they felt upset for long hours or for many days at a time. 28% reported they felt hopeless and helpless, another 28% said they felt worthless. Sleep-related problems, constant exhaustion, loss of appetite and weight, digestion troubles and menstruation problems were commonly reported.
Steps to be taken to relieve pressure, according to TISS
TISS urges parents to "do an initial recce" of Kota before sending their children. Coaching centers should teach 40 and not 200 students at a time, appoint counselors and doctors, create recreational forums and form peer mentor groups to ease the stress on students. Their ads should make genuine claims, TISS adds. With such steps, the administration can provide a healthier environment for children.
