Rise in student suicides a wake-up call for coaching centres

A 2021 NCRB report showed that a total of 1,673 persons died by suicide due to “failure in examination” with 864 being below 18 years. (Illustration by Suneesh Kalarickal)

Growing up, Noida-based Vishal Tyagi had a lot of dreams, including becoming a guitarist. Watching actor Ranbir Kapoor play the instrument in the Bollywood hit Rockstar gave him goosebumps and a lifelong dream. Becoming an engineer had no part in that pursuit.

Somewhere along the way, however, his journey took him on a different path and he found himself enrolled in a course helping students prepare for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), a national-level exam conducted for admission to undergraduate engineering programmes at IITs and NITs, among others.

“I hardly remember when getting into IIT Madras became my dream,” says Tyagi. The reason Madras tops his goal sheet is because of its NIRF Score. NIRF stands for National Institutional Ranking Framework, a methodology adopted by the Government of India to rank institutions of higher education in India. IIT Madras currently tops the chart.

Tyagi certainly has the academic pedigree to get into IIT Madras, having never scored less than 90 percent in any exam since the 7th standard, except on one occasion. And on that occasion, his tutor was sent packing — because Tyagi had scored 87 percent in his high school pre-boards. A new one was brought in and an additional tutor was recruited specifically to help with Chemistry as that subject had reduced his overall percentage.

With so much pressure to perform, Tyagi had a mental breakdown in 2021. Meanwhile, a friend from his JEE preparation class tried to commit suicide, but fortunately survived. Those terrible events still weigh on his mind. “Both of our lives and challenges were similar, with one difference: my friend’s schedule became more intense as time passed. I realised I was just a few moments away from that experience.”

Today, Tyagi, all of 19, is pursuing a BSc course through distance education. And he is still trying to crack the JEE, after failing to make the cut in his first attempt.

Tyagi and his friend are not the only ones who have broken down under the pressure to perform well academically. At this very moment many Indian students are out there staring at the abyss, as they did. Year after year after year, hundreds of thousands of Indian students are subjected to this intense stress as they vie with each other to grab the few seats that are on offer in higher learning institutes such as the IITs, IIMs and medical colleges. Often that pressure begins at an early age, when they are just 10, in the fifth standard. Parents drill it into their heads that failure — which in this case means not making the cut — is not an option.

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While children raised in more relaxed households are out on playgrounds having fun or going to the movies or watching TV, and also studying, these students spend most of their waking hours buried deep inside their books, sometimes in soulless places such as Kota. Over time, the unrelenting pressure leads some to crack, and even take the extreme step of ending their lives.

Media reports indicate that the police in Kota recorded 52 suicides by students, including 27 enrolled with different coaching centres, between January 2019 and December 2022. If the numbers from around the country are totted up, the toll will be much higher.

A glimmer of change

The suicides have rattled coaching institutes and some of them are trying to take action to ensure the mental wellbeing of their wards. For instance, Sanjay Ghodawat IIT and Medical Academy (SGIMA) prioritises the mental well-being of its students by providing yoga and counselling sessions. By incorporating yoga into their daily routine, students at the centres learn to manage stress more effectively and develop a greater sense of emotional resilience.

“Counselling sessions help students identify and address any underlying mental health concerns, develop coping strategies, and improve their overall well-being,” Srinivas Konduti, Director at SGIMA, told Moneycontrol. Besides, the institute also supports mental well-being with mindfulness practices, peer support groups, and educational resources.

At Dr Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute (DBMCI), students are provided one-to-one care sessions in a safe space to express their concerns and seek guidance from qualified mental health professionals. Students of DBMCI can avail of one-to-one care sessions, personal sessions, and motivation sessions offered by it or other institutes to cope with academic pressure. It claims to have 3.3 lakh e-Gurukul and Dr Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute LIVE users.

“These sessions help students build resilience, develop effective study strategies, and stay motivated throughout their coaching journey,” said Dr Nachiket Bhatia, CEO of Dr Bhatia Medical Coaching Institute.

‘A sensitive topic’

Delhi-based Khushboo, 16, a JEE aspirant, feels that preparing for a competitive exam might be one of the most draining and exhausting experiences a student can have in their life.

“Many candidates focus solely on their studies. The competition is high, and there are very few seats available. Many students begin worrying about the results even before the exam,” she said.

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Tyagi has studied in at least four coaching institutes — two in Delhi, and one each in Noida and Ghaziabad — and has never seen any initiative mentioning mental health. “Teachers in coaching institutes never even discuss suicide cases, let alone give sessions,” he said.

When Moneycontrol reached out to major institutes offering coaching to JEE, NEET, and UPSC aspirants seeking their inputs on the matter, most declined to comment. Many said they did not have any such initiative. One spokesperson declined to go into the issue, saying “[I] don't have clearance to comment. It’s a sensitive topic.”

According to Divya Sharma, Chief Learning Officer and Psychologist at MyPeegu, a child behavioural tracking platform, mental well-being support within coaching institutions can help provide “first aid counselling to students who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideation”.

Specifically talking about students in high-competition environments, she said, “Support beyond academics must be made available, as they can experience a ‘trickle-down effect’ in their functional lives as a result of academic stressors.”

Challenges faced by coaching institutes

Gaurav Bhagat, Founder of Gaurav Bhagat Academy, a training academy, feels not many pay importance to finding a balance through meditation, counselling, coaching, and mentoring, whereas every professional institute is zealously focused on getting 90 percent of the people to score 99.9 percent and more.

There are challenges on the side of institutes as well.

Noida-based Balaji coaching centre only has 70 students in three shifts and always faces a cash crunch providing basic improvements at its centre, let alone focussing on mental health sessions. The majority of its students are from the lower strata of society and many are not able to deposit the first instalment of fees on time.

“The fees of psychologists are too high these days and we can’t charge students for the same,” said Sandeep Tewari, founder and teacher at Balaji coaching centre. Besides, he said, students at this age aren’t interested in such sessions when he arranges counselling by mental health experts or decides to do so himself with staff members.

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However, experts doubt the “do it yourself” model will work on crucial topics such as mental health.

According to Dr Mazher Ali, a psychiatrist at CARE Hospitals, one of the main challenges is the lack of awareness and education about mental health among institute staff and management. Additionally, he said, there is a stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues, which could discourage students from accessing mental health services.

Discussing such topics requires a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable discussing mental health concerns and accessing mental health services, he added.