Kota Coaching: Chorus Grows For Weekend Offs, Gaps Between Internal Tests Amid Students Suicides

In 2015, the Rajasthan government had formulated guidelines for coaching centres which required them to keep the environment “stress free”, make room for recreational activities for students at the centre and ensure that students get at least one day off in a week.

Kota Coaching: Classes for five days a week, weekend offs, and not more than two internal tests in a week chorus for these demands is growing among JEE and NEET aspirants here after four students died by suicide this month allegedly due to academic stress. For a student preparing for competitive exams in Kota, the academic schedule would typically include classes for seven or eight hours from Monday to Saturday with a brief interval for refreshment, sometimes doubt sessions and remedial classes on Sundays, at least three internal tests during a week and one major test on the last Sunday of a month.

Often bogged down with the fast-paced curriculum and the programme structure, students say they are always racing against time and even a day’s break can push them behind thousands of other students. However, the recent cases of student suicides have brought back the focus on fixing the schedule to make it more student-friendly.

“Majority of students coming here begin to live away from their families for the first time. Having just one day off on Sunday is not enough to even adjust to that setting. At times, the day does not even give us the window to grasp what all was taught throughout the week,” Varsha B, a NEET aspirant from Maharashtra was quoted as saying news agency.

Nishant Yadav from Haryana’s Jhajjhar district feels there should be at least two offs in a week to not only help them relax but also keep pace with curriculum. “Life in Kota is like running on a treadmill. You can either get off or keep running but cannot slow down. There should be at least be two offs. Even adults need Saturday and Sunday offs, we are still teenagers who are seeing the outside world for the first time and then the constant pressure that each of the six days of classes and the internal tests through the week, one has to be on top of his or her game,” he told.

Guidelines Formulated by Rajasthan Government

In 2015, the Rajasthan government formulated guidelines for coaching centres which required them to keep the environment “stress free”, make room for recreational activities for students at the centre and ensure that students get at least one day off in a week.
The government had also told institutes to limit class sizes to a maximum of 80 students instead of the 200 students, which was the practice in most institutes then.

District Administration issues fresh directions

After the cases of three students dying by suicide last week came to light, the district administration issued fresh directions to ensure that there is stress-free environment for students and at least one weekly off is granted to them. Students, however, feel that it isn’t enough.