IndiGlobal Bureau
Ten years ago if someone suggested including Zumba along with the coaching classes for NEET and JEE entrance preparatory classes, it would have been ridiculed but with the recent death of three students allegedly by suicide-mental health has come back into focus and all major institutes started Zumba and Yoga classes in Kota, Rajasthan.
Kota, a small town is often referred as the coaching hub of India as thousands of students from different parts of the country make a bee-line to the town and stay put for months. They attend classes and stay in hostels. Many crack the competitive exams but the number of suicides in the last few years has attracted the attention of educationists, sociologists and the general public on the methods adopted to train students.
NEET aspirant Ankush Anand (18) from and JEE aspirant Ujjwal Kumar (17) — both from Bihar — were found hanging from ceiling fans in their respective rooms at their paying guest (PG) accommodation on December 12. - Presently, 2 lakh students are enrolled and studying in various coaching institutions in Kota
- 14 students died in 2022
- 20 in 2020
- 18 in 2019
- In 2021 there were no suicides reported as the coaching centres were closed due to lockdown.
To tackle the problem of depression and suicidal tendencies, coaching institutes including Allen, roped in counsellors, dance experts and yoga practitioners. The stress and anxiety that a student goes through takes a toll on his or her mental health. Also, there is peer and family pressure to succeed. With no-one to confide and speak to, many a time students take the extreme step. Rakesh Munda, a relative of Piyush Munda (Name changed on request) said, “Students live alone and do not visit their homes for months. They cannot pour out their feelings over a phone call. Many wallow within themselves.”
Today, the coaching centres have started 24X7 helpline. A few institutes have a team of experts on campus. The Zumba classes help students to forget all the pressure and sweat it out. It not only refreshes them but also helps them keep fit. Yoga and meditation classes help students to stay calm and focussed.
Like in the corporate world, a buddy is allotted for new recruits, in these centres, a senior student is allotted for a group of 10 students. He keeps a tab on their daily routine and when he finds any irregularity such as not having food for long periods or staying away from others, locking themselves in rooms and preferring to stay in the dark for long periods, all signs of a problem, he reports to counsellors. Counselling sessions are also organised regularly.
