Not failure, fear of post-exam humiliation driving Kota suicides: Experts

Students often find it harder to cope with the emotional stress more than the stress of studies, say experts. Representation pic

Lakhs of students come to Rajasthan's coaching hub Kota every year with dreams of getting into some of the country's most prestigious colleges but many soon find themselves bogged down by hectic routines, peer pressure and the burden of expectations, according to experts.

It's not the fear of failing an exam but its "aftermath" - insult and humiliation - which pushes them to end their lives, the experts said.

The recent suicides of three students preparing for competitive exams here have triggered a fresh debate over the factors that prompt students to take the extreme step. At least 14 students studying in coaching centres here have committed suicide this year.

Students often find it harder to cope with the emotional stress more than the stress of studies, Dr Harish Sharma, principal psychologist at Allen Career Institute told PTI.

"Academics-related stress among students is not as high as emotional stress. The students are not actually afraid of failing an exam but of its aftermath - insult and humiliation. So they prefer to go into escapist mode," he said.

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The burden of expectations of others clubbed with that of their own is often what demotivates students, he added.

"The parenting style is the same as it was in the 1970s, while the child has a modern brain of 2022 and demands a scientific explanation for whatever he is asked to do. At times, parents make their child do something that he or she may not want to do. The burden of expectations of others as well as their own demotivates children," he said.

Back-to-back lectures, test series, a constant race to outdo one's peers and trying to keep pace with the curriculum--this is what the average day of a student studying in a Kota coaching centre looks like.

Dr Chandra Shekhar Sushil, head of Department of Psychiatry, New Medical College Hospital, said instead of pushing their children to become doctors and engineers, parents should make their children take an aptitude test and then decide what's best for them.

"I do not believe coaching institutes have much of a role in student suicides. We have to admit that JEE and NEET are very tough exams and hence the teaching and learning is also supposed to be of the same level. "However, taking an aptitude test before sending students to Kota is very important. Some parents forcibly send their children here because they want their children to become doctors or engineers and do not consider the fact whether they are capable of doing it or not," he said.

"Children are often worried about face-saving if they do not clear the exam. They need to be counselled that there is life beyond engineering and medicine and there are several career options available to choose from," he added.

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