Rise in number of suicides in top colleges of India is disturbing

The Indian Institute of Technology is one of the prestigious colleges of India. Dream academy of every engineering student in country, IIT is known for its quality education and competitive entrance test. Surprisingly, college is in news for a few months now for an upsetting reason. According to the information, a second year B. Tech student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras committed suicide on April 21. Kedar Suresh Chougule was studying Chemical engineering and was found hanging in his hostel room. It is the sixth suicide on IIT campuses since the year started. Reports say, three students took their lives in IIT Madras, two students committed suicide in IIT Bombay and IIT Guwahati.
Given that academic stress is a familiar phase in every student’s life, providing mental health support at such high-ranking colleges becomes important. Surekha Singh is mental health counsellor employed at a medical college. She discussed the possible reasons behind suicides and said, ‘Academic stress, personal stress, financial stress, there are lot of elements that weakens an individual’s mind. Specifically in a student life, I come across with multiple cases of academic stress. And students with sensitive mind, overthinking, anxiety usually falls into depression which convince them to end it’. She further added, ‘I can’t say anything about this particular case because I am not aware of any important information. But probably, academic or personal stress could be the reason here.’
IIT Madras is ranked 1 based on the latest NIRF ranking declared by Ministry of Human Resource Development, MHRD, Govt. of India. Followed by IIT Delhi at rank 2 and IIT Bombay at rank 3. Ironically, students of top colleges are committing suicide despite cracking toughest competitive entrance test nationally. Mrs. Singh mentioned about post admission trauma and said, ‘Cracking a national level exam with higher rank and getting admission in a dream college is an achievement for number of students. But reality hits when they enter. Ragging, bullying, personal enmity, academics pressure, competition, this all surrounds them. There are various colleges assuring of no ragging, but this all happens at personal levels. At hostels, canteens, classes, sometimes teachers are well aware of such incidents but choose to avoid as stating it normal.’
Three days before suicide case in IIT Madras, the Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan directed engineering institutes to improve mental health support for students. Earlier Union Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar told Parliament, ‘Academic stress, family and personal reasons and mental health issues are some of the reasons for such suicides.’ Stating mental health support as an essential in every educational institution, Mrs. Singh told EAT news, ‘In today’s world, where maximum people are diagnosed with anxiety, habits of overthinking or depression, mental health support service should be a part of every possible workplace. Not only schools or colleges but also at offices. The service not only works as a support system or listen the problems but also motivates and suggest some very interesting activities and exercises that helps one to divert mind.’ While recalling her work days she said, ‘I make sure to be available as much as I can for my students. This work is way more important than teaching in class. You never know when a student can come asking your help. And even if I take off for some emergency reasons, I make sure to be in touch with them via phone calls or text.’
Are students left on their own after classes by teachers? Sundaram is an IIT pass out and is currently based in United States. While sharing his experience with EAT news he said, ‘It was a beautiful journey that I am going to remember as it was my college days but there were some disturbing incidents too that I want to erase. I was bullied for my accent few times in front of my professors, but was left on my own. Similarly, one day my seniors were taking ragging near hostel, and one of the professors went by but did not say a word.’ He believes, teachers are not only to teach in classes but also to stand for their students outside classes. There have been instances where Sundaram and his friends faced questionable behavior by his seniors but they were demotivated by their own teacher’s behavior.
‘Yes, I hear news and it is upsetting. The rise in suicides in IIT campuses is alarming and authorities should work in improvising the environment for students as candidates across the nation prepares to come to this campus with high expectations and what they lack is mental health support form their own teachers’, he said. Undoubtedly, suicides cases in IIT campuses have escalated and has alarmed administration too. Improvisation of mental health support is an important action that needs to be focused on, before producing top engineers of the country.