Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
KOTA
A
STUDY ON
SUICIDE AMONGST COACHING STUDENTS
2015-16
Acknowledgment 3
Introduction 4
Process of study 5
Part A
Part B
Part C
Findings 34
Recommendations 37
Conclusion 39
It not only causes pain to the parents who have suffered an irreparable loss but is a cause of
concern for the citizens and administration of the city of Kota which hosts over 1 Lakh
students from various parts of the country. It also is a cause of concern since coaching as a
business forms the basis of livelihood of people in Kota.
To get into the details and to identify causes in an attempt to arrive at plausible conclusions,
the students of School of Management & Commerce Studies, Career Point University
embarked on a mission to conduct a research on the most disturbing trend of suicide.
This survey consumed huge amount of time, hard work, research and dedication. School of
management and commerce, Career Point University wishes to thank students and staff of
all coaching institutions who have meaningfully contributed in this noble venture.
We also wish to thank the eminent personalities and local administration for their valuable
inputs.
We would like to express our gratitude towards our parents who have supported us in our
endeavours.
Duration 30 Days.
Objective of the study To Study the trend of suicide among coaching students in Kota.
Research design
Process of Study
University Campus : Alaniya, Jhalawar Road, Kota 325 003 (Rajasthan)
Email : info@cpuniverse.in | website : www.cpuniverse.in
The survey was designed by the students of Project steering group, with representatives as
well as students themselves. By involving key stakeholders we were able to ensure we asked
relevant and clear questions. The survey was completed by participants in hardcopy.
Coaching institutes across Kota worked to encourage students to complete the survey
through written communications and face to face contact from students to complete the
survey.
The survey team also visited educational institutions and provided students with the
opportunity to complete the survey in person. All students were given an explanation as to
the purpose and content of the survey and where the information would be used.
The table below gives details of coaching students who committed suicide in 2015. (Updated
till 04 Nov 2015).
University Campus : Alaniya, Jhalawar Road, Kota 325 003 (Rajasthan)
Email : info@cpuniverse.in | website : www.cpuniverse.in
Father's
Name Age Date Reason Coaching Place
Name
Mr Ashok
1 Anjali Anand 18 1-Nov-15 Academic Allen Moradabad, UP
Anand
Self Study,
2 Harshdeep Kaur 16 1-Nov-15 Academic
Drop Out
28-Oct- Academic, Home Bhilwara
3 Vikas meena 17 Resonance
15 Sickness Rajasthan
21-oct-
4 Amitesh sahu 19 chattisgarh
2015
Medical
Siddharth Ashish 14-Oct-
5 Academic entrance Muzaffarpur
chaudhary Chaudhary 15
classes
The rigorous study
schedule, high-
pressure
Sohanlal
6 Tarachand Sirvi 17 2-Oct-15 environment, Allen Dornari, Bihar
Sirvi
competitive exams
and stress of living
alone
27-Jun- JEE
7 Rohit Singh 18 Academic Gopalganj Bihar
15 Aspirant
Mr. Rampal
Divyansh 15-Jun-
8 Vishwakar Academic Jaunpur, UP
Vishwakarma 15
ma
9 Sarthak Yadav 17 7-Jun-15 Academic Allen Saharanpur UP
Mr Kuldeep
10 Dipanshi 18 5-Jun-15 Financial nil Badaun, UP
Rastogi
Couldnt with
Jharkhand
11 Vibha Tiwari 18 4-Jun-15 stand staying with Allen
roommate
12 Ashwini Kumar Bihar
13 Yogesh Johari Chhindwara,mp
The case reported on 27 June15, was that of an 18-year-old boy from Gopalganj in Bihar who
committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan.
While police officials point to a different trigger in each case, they claim that the common
underlying factors are raising performance pressure and bouts of homesickness among
adolescents.
Police sources said: Various reasons were found behind the five suicide cases. In the recent
case, there was a love affair and the boy had written a suicide note asking his girlfriend to be
informed about his death. In another case, the girl was troubled over a lesbian relationship,
while in another case it was homesickness. In another incident, where a father-daughter duo
committed suicide in a hotel, financial problems were cited in the suicide note. Only in one
In Kota, the rise in the number of suicides corresponds with the growth of the coaching
industry. Police sources added, In 2013, around 26 students committed suicide, in 2014
another 14 cases were reported whereas so far this year 11 cases have already come to light.
It is noted that from May to July, when the new academic session starts, more cases are
reported. The number of dropouts and the instances of children going into depression also
increase during this period. Maybe parents have to do more to ensure that the children are
well taken care of and they have someone to turn to.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, in 2014, Kota has witnessed rise
in suicide cases by 61.3 percent, which include mostly students. The data of 2013 shows 62
suicide deaths were registered.
NCRB has classified 18 reasons for suicide but main among them were failure in exams, failure
in love affair and family problems.
According to the report, out of 100 suicide deaths in 2014 in Kota, 45 were by students who
took extreme step after failing in exams, 26 due to failure in love affair and 24 due to family
problems, while no reasons could be ascertained in five cases. Out of 100 suicides, 73 were
committed by men and 27 by women.
The number of suicide cases in Kota was higher than other cities of Rajasthan like Jodhpur
and Jaipur, which were also part of the annual analysis of crime data. Jodhpur and Jaipur have
recorded 12 and 2 suicide death cases of students, respectively, due to failure in examination
and in love affair.
Out of the 84 suicide deaths registered in Rajasthan due to failure in examination during 2014,
45 were from Kota.
In case of suicide due to failure in love, Kota recorded highest number in Rajasthan whereas
Jaipur and Jodhpur had 7 and 4 cases, respectively.
The figure of suicide deaths due to failure in love affair has also raised concerns among
parents who send their children to Kota for a better career.
General Aspects
It was also observed that fair amount of such cases belong to urban upbringing and middle
class or lower middle class families. Parental aspirations often put pressure on students.
Pressure from coaching institutions with regards to performance was also a key factor. Large
numbers of students in this segment were not excellent performers in their academic career.
As a result of the survey as per details given in the graph below it has been found that only
37% students refer to exams and academic workload as cause of stress. 23% attributed it to
financial reason. Fear of failure is a major cause of stress among 14%. Large numbers of
students when they come to Kota get into relationship with their classmates and colleagues.
At this age most students do not understand the relationships and this becomes a major
cause of emotional and mental stress which they cannot handle. 16% of students attributed
relationships with both male and female friends as a major cause of stress. 8% felt conditions
back home and family issues where a major cause of stress. Only 2% of the students have
been in a situation where they have been under stress because they were bullied by other
students, Hostel owners or roommates.
It is generally believed that well performing students are able to manage stress and take
stress as a challenge of the competition. The problem is of students who do not perform well
and digress from the basic goal of coaching in Kota. They lose interest in studies, get into
wrong company and have unfair financial requirements from their parents which cannot be
met. The students get involved with girls who are in the same spectrum and are not able to
handle the pressures of relationship.
8%
14% 37%
Relationship Bullied/Harassed
Exams Poor Performance
Friends and family Financial constrains
20% 20%
0%
10%
10%
40%
Relationship Bullied/Harassed
Exams Poor Performance
Friends and family Financial constrains
According to the study, 46% teachers/faculties/principals find exams as main cause of stress
among students. They expect a lot from their children and therefore pressurise them to
perform well in exams which leads to stress. Constant commenting on performance and
personal remarks induce extreme stress which leads to depression. Hence becomes a
gateway to suicide.
The phenomenon of suicide has been both among students staying with parents as well as in
hostels. In large number of cases relationship between hostel owners / wardens is more of
customer and service provider. In very few cases it was found that the hostel
owner/wardens/care takers shared a personal relationship. In case of paying guest the
relationship is more personalised and interaction more frequent.
Most students studying in Kota prefer hostels depending on their financial status.
Financial Aspects
There is a very commonly heard proverb among coaching students about the coaching
owners in Kota which says so and so batch is my ranker and all others are my bankers.
The students come to Kota from varied backgrounds. It is a very common feature to find the
student from the family of a rich businessman or highly
placed bureaucrat and at the same time son or daughter of
Residential
a peon, security guard, or a poor farmer. From the
respondents to the survey it was found that 2% students Details
came from affluent families with income over Rs. 20 Lakhs
Per year, 20% came from income of 5 to 10 Lakhs, 30% had
income of 2 to 5 Lakhs and majority of 34% had income 18% 31%
below 2 Lakhs. 5%
10%
Large numbers of students coming for coaching to Kota are
36%
from low financial background. However, Finance was not
a major cause of stress amongst students.
Time Management
The coaching institutions in Kota run a largely 365 Day 24x7 coaching schedule. There are no
Sundays and holidays. To top it up, it is augmented by whole lot of assignments/ Practice
sheets and frequent exams. No matter how much a student restricts his personal needs yet
he has to fit in his own time into this already scarce time schedule. In most cases a very serious
and studious student during his stay at Kota forgets entertainment, family interaction and
personal
Parents Income interests.
Upto 2Lakhs\ 2 - 5 Lakhs 5 - 10 Lakhs 10 - 20 Lakhs Above 20 Lakhs
There is another
14% 2% segment of
34%
not so serious
20% students
who run out of
time against
30% Facebook
and other forms
of social media
and likeminded
University Campus : Alaniya, Jhalawar Road, Kota 325 003 (Rajasthan)
Email : info@cpuniverse.in | website : www.cpuniverse.in
friends. In either case sleep and rest and recoup are the biggest sufferers eventually leading
to a graduated form of creeping stress in a students life. Our survey revealed that an average
very studious and well performing potential IITian and AIPMTiian only studies and does
nothing. Even on the dining table. His break comes when he switches books from one subject
to the other. Such students spend 16-18 hours each day studying. On the other hand non
performing students spend 2-3 and below and their time is spent between friends and face
book. The problem arises with students who are not able to manage time. They trying to
balance between studies, personal errands, friends and other aspects. In all the cases there
is no sports or physical activity and certainly no positive recreation. Due to this stress
develops and subconsciously dwells into depression.
Unfortunately the society, peer pressure and parental aspirations do not allow them to
give up for it will be synonymous to failure. Our survey revealed that 70% of the students
came for coaching out of their will. However this does not mean that they knew their
aptitude. 12% were influenced by friends, 10% Due to pressure from parents and
approximately 8% just came for no reason. They said we just came because we thought
lets just go and see Kota. In most cases students felt that this is a trend and if they do not
take coaching then they will get left out in the competition.
8% 10%
12% 31%
46%
70%
23%
0%
31%
46%
23%
The survey shows, 46% teachers/faculties/principals have opinion that students choose their
stream by their own decision whether it is out of interest or otherwise.
According to the survey 55% of the surveyed parents and guardian said that their children
have interest in engineering field, 22% of the surveyed parents and guardian said that their
children have interest in medical field , 20% of the surveyed parents and guardian said that
their children have interest in arts field and rest surveyed parents and guardian said that their
children have interest in other fields but since engineering is the emerging field with many
scope for the children in future so the children have chosen engineering field for a future
University Campus : Alaniya, Jhalawar Road, Kota 325 003 (Rajasthan)
Email : info@cpuniverse.in | website : www.cpuniverse.in
career. Some of this category of students remain focussed due to future career temptations
and are successful. In large cases these students lose interest during the course of their
coaching and this leads to stress. They gradually realise that they are not made for this but
cannot give up due for fear of loss of face and dignity. These students are the one who become
prone to extreme cases of stress.
3%
12% 24%
61%
Yes No
40%
60%
Most coaching institutions in Kota have a welfare cell which organises and caters for students
welfare. Stress management is also part of this. Some of these coaching institutions also have
part time or full time trained and untrained counsellors. In most cases the welfare cell comes
into play for administrative requirements of students and counsellors come into play where
students approach them. The key players in the coaching industry boast of 6 to 60,000
Students and are not equipped to handle the aspects of counselling and stress amongst
students.
Out of the student surveyed only 33% of students feel that their coaching institute conducts
some stress management activity or handles stress among students. However, out of these
33% only 47% feel that such activities are of any use. This means that just about 16% of the
students are satisfied with such endeavours of their coaching institutes. Going by the numbers
only 16,000 students out of over 1 Lakh that take admission in various coaching institutes of
Kota feel comfortable with such facilities.
33%
47%
53%
67%
Any other
31%
Coachings requires significantly more effort from students than high school. The students
life gets sudden transformation and he finds himself restricted to books and assignments and
exams. He is expected to go for coaching, come back and practice and complete problems and
study as much as he can. There is no break, no entertainment. All he gets to see is an ocean
of students cycling between hostels and coaching institutions. The talks are of academic
problems and all conversation with friends, parents and faculties gets restricted to exams.
The consistency and concentration with which these youngsters are required to sustain
themselves in the new environment is amazingly ridiculous. Once the student enters
coaching, he/she finds fellow students are more motivated, students instructors are more
demanding, the work is more difficult, and students expected to be more independent. These
higher academic standards and expectations are evident 24x7. As a result of these new
demands, it is common for coaching students to experience greater levels of stress related to
academics.
Many students find that they need to develop new skills in order to balance academic
demands with a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, some offers many resources to help students
develop these skills. Many students find that they can reduce their level of academic stress
by improving skills such as time management, stress management, and relaxation.
7
6
5 6
5 Parents
3 3 3 3 Family
3
2 2
Teacher
1 1
The analysis found that the teachers are having more dominating & despite the fact that most
of them do adopt a populist approach with students, their comments are demeaning. The
slogans and motivating sentences have an adverse effect. In one of the coaching institutions
students are required to repeat repeatedly that they are responsible for their failure. No
matter what the aim but psychologically it puts performance pressure.
According to the study, it has been found that the coaching students find friends most positive
with their problems. Parents and faculties have a similar rating. Relatives go down on the
scale.
5%
15% Upto 50 Students
41%
50-100 Students
Above 200
67%
0%
33% 25%
42%
The conducted study shows, 42% teachers/faculties/principals think that ideal class strength
in coaching institutions should come in a band width of 50-100 students. The student teacher
ratio, even the room size, the sizable number of hours a student spends in the school and
portable furniture also play important role to meet the challenges as well as develop of sense
of belonging, she adds. Parents add that teachers provide a supportive environment when the
size is small. Even 58% teachers think that coaching institutions are not able to handle large
number of students they enrol.
According to the parents and guardian, 67% had suggested that the ideal strength of a class
is up to 50 students, 28% suggested that the ideal strength of a class should be from 50-100 ,
0% suggested that the strength of class should be 100-200 and 5% suggested that the ideal
strength of class should be above 250 which implies that according to majority of parents the
ideal strength of class should be of 50 students so that each and every student should get
personal attention and guidance from the teacher which benefit the students.
47%
53%
Yes No
Responsibility of Failure
The survey found 81% students takes responsibility for their own failure. This
sometimes instils in them a guilt complex. In some students this creates a complex
and they resolve to be a failure in their course. Sometimes they tend to give up and
try and find ways of face saving grace. In most cases these are not positive and lead
to drastic actions among students.
8%
11%
81%
15%
8%
54%
23%
As per the survey, 54% teachers/faculties/principals have helped students on stress related
issues VERY OFTEN. However in most cases this has been in case of students who have
approached the faculties in times of stress. The critical mass of coaching students is the one
who does not approach anyone in times of stress and gets isolated. It is these students who
are prone to extreme conditions of stress leading to suicidal tendencies.
Faculties/Teachers/Principals
18%
36%
46%
YES NO Partially
Faculties/Teachers/Principals
1% 0%
16%
25% 58%
Faculties/Teachers/Principals
0%
25%
42%
33%
42%
58%
YES NO
While 58% teachers/faculties/principals have opinion that the results are not the true
indication of student's potential because results relate to an examination which is
designed to assess a particular aspect of human mind, information and knowledge. It
is not a reflection of childs intellect, skill and potential.
33%
67%
YES NO
18%
82%
YES NO
24%
76%
YES NO
Overcome fear
13% 10%
Get Better Results
16%
Most faculties feel that they will want students to discover their purpose in life. A large number also
want students to be more confident and overcome fear.
40
30
20
10
0
talk to friends Talk to parents Take drug/tobacco/smoke
Feeling like Faliure relaxation/Meditation Get counselling
Talk to Faculties
Most parents feel that they are the ones that the child speaks to when in stress. Once again
an alarming trend where large number of parents have attributed to alcohol, tobacco and
drugs as second most popular option in times of stress. In the opinion of parents faculties
are the last option. Considering that most coaching students are away from home, this may
not be a healthy trend.
28%
72%
Yes No
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Suggest to change the field Take them for Outing
Suggest to discountinue coaching(Temporary) Suggest to participate in Activities
No action Suggest counselling
12%
88%
Yes No
Rarely
Seldom
Very Often
Often
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Try to
undrerstand the
problem
Motivates
positively for
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Future
50
40
30
20
10
0
Overcome on fear
Get Better exam Results
Discover his/her purposecoaching(Temporary)
Become more confidentActivities
72% 28%
Yes No
According to the survey conducted 72% of the parents and guardian say that they do not have
any formal exposure for handling stress and dealing with stress among children. 28% of the
parents and guardian say that they have had some formal training in this regard.
Students perceive coaching as a scenario that stimulates competence and goal attainment,
which consciously or unconsciously inhibits them from showing their vulnerabilities. Students
informed that this culture of competition generates excessive stress and anxiety.
Some students find it difficult to let others see them as vulnerable or incapable of meeting
academic demands. The trend is more among medical students because of lack of options
and high cost of medical studies. On the other hand affordable engineering education is
available even for non performers.
Some students consider suicide because of the build-up of psychological stress. There are
times of predictable stress for students such as the start of coaching, mid-terms, final exams
and assessment closer to competitive exams.
Probably the most common stress for coaching students is what can be called exhaustion
stress when the student has experienced a number of life difficulties in a rather short period
of time and has been put into a routine which speaks of 365 days 24x7 schedule of classes,
assessments and tests.
Typically this student deals with each individual situation in a constructive manner, but
gradually the reserves of emotional energy, cognitive strength, physical stamina, and social
support become depleted. When the last event takes place, the student collapses in all areas
because few internal or social supports remain to deal with the last situation. Ironically the
final straw can seem quite minor to the student and others. Consequently the student often
feels doubly inadequate and confused.
On top of that, students who come here are [often] from the first, second, or third spot in
their class. Suddenly, theyre in a situation where everyone is from the top of their class. For
the first time, theyre competing with students on their same level.
Students feel pressure from their parents, who unrealistically expect the best in their children
and expect them to be in P1 to P6 batch and within that top 500 and then top 100 and so on.
An unending ambition.
Devoid of a school routine which fosters stress buster activities like sports, co-curricular,
interaction with classmates in small monitored groups, monitoring by teachers and parents.
Sometimes, symptoms are a product of the stress experienced by individuals with little power
or living a reality that is different from what they want.
Suicide is a multi-factor problem, where diverse social, cultural, psychological, educational
and economic dynamics converge. Self-destructive behaviour is often accompanied by myths
related to the values, beliefs and norms.
Students from poor background are mentally tough but they have aspirational stress. Urban
students are more prone due to lifestyle and more protected life.
Institutions do not reach out to students or identify students prone to stress due to large
strength of students
Have stress management corners in the institution with posters, logos and motivational
videos and music. Have a website for the same and 24 hour live chats.
A collaborative approach that includes every member of the academic institution in the
efforts made to prevent suicide has to be implemented.
Use culturally adequate language to reduce the impact of stigma on students and not use
sentences like, You cannot pass, I am responsible for my failure etc etc.
"More than half of coaching students report being depressed at some time, and a fair amount
consider giving up on life sometime or the other. It is vitally important that students in
coaching understand that mental illness, including thoughts of suicide, is not something to be
ashamed of and will not be penalized.
Confidential treatment is required to be available. "Most people who have mental illness or
depression are grossly undertreated and suffer silently. The most helpful thing one can do,
which truly can be lifesaving, is to facilitate treatment."
The staff should develop a relationship with them or strengthen your current relationship by
being available to listen and talk. Show and say that you care about them.
It is important to again highlight the fact that the faculties are not in a position to assume the
role of counsellor. However, it can be helpful when they have a basic understanding of
counselling interventions. The first goal of any intervention is to keep the student safe.
In the end, it can be concluded that students who have joined coaching institutes for
admission in professional courses experience self-inflicted stress, parent inflicted stress,
career oriented and peer inflicted stress. The highly competitive education and the learning
processes are affecting their mental state. The modern world, which is said to be a world of
achievement, is also a world of stress. One finds stress everywhere, whether it is within the
family, academics or any social and economic activity. Likewise, mismatch between the
demands placed on students and their abilities to meet those demands can result in stress.
"Virtually all coaching students who take their own lives probably had a diagnosable, treatable
mental illness. The issues that lead to suicide are usually temporary unfortunately suicide
is permanent. If treated, these students could have received necessary strength to manage
their depression and develop a defense mechanism later in life. When you suspect that
someone is under stress or depression and might be considering suicide, you must follow your
instincts and even if it may be awkward reach out to question and help. This is an important
first step toward prevention.
Suicide among coaching students is a serious issue. Coaching institutions by their very nature
seek to establish warm, open, and supportive relationships with their students. As such they
are often the first line of defense in identifying a student at risk for suicide and securing the
help needed so that the student can strongly face and overcome these self-destructive
thoughts. In a scenario of large number of students each and every staff member should be
trained to identify symptoms and counselling should be provided by selected staff members.
2. Class
a. 11th
b. 12th
c. 12th plus
6. Medium of education.
a. English
b. Hindi
c. Others
Particulars Hours
Studies
Sleep
Entertainment/recreation/fun time
Interaction with parents/relatives/friends
Physical activities
Social studies
Reasons Rank(1-6)
Relationships
Being bullied/harassed
Exams
Failure in performance
family/friends
Financial constrains
18. Have you ever felt under stress during coaching institute?
a. Yes
b. No
21. When depressed, what options come to your mind to cope up with stress?
a. Visit to counselor/ psychiatrist
b. Sharing with parents/relatives
c. Sharing with friends
d. Keeping it to yourself
e. Any other
23. When you share the problems ,what has been their reaction
Particular Positive Negative
Parents
Friends
Relatives
Teachers
27. If you are not able to pass your final exam, whom do you think will be
responsible?
a. Parents
b. Teachers
c. Yourself
Particulars Hours
Studies
Sleep
Entertainment/recreation/fun time
Interaction with parents/relatives/friends
Physical activities
5. What would you like to change in students life as per priority? (rank1-5)
Changes Rank
Overcome fear
Get better results
Discover the purpose
Become more confident
Be happier
Reasons Rank(1-6)
Relationships
Being bullied/harassed
Exams
Failure in performance
Family/friends
Financial constrains
11. Out of total number of students, how many actually hold the potential to be good
Doctor/Engineer/CA/CS.
a. 10%
b. 25%
c. 50%
d. 75%
e. More than75%
14. Are the coaching institutions capable of handling large number of students they
enrol?
a. Yes
b. No
15. How can community and institute work together to prevent suicide?
__________________________________________________________________
16. Do you agree that social networking sites have increased the stress among students?
a. Yes
b. No
5. Are the coaching institutions capable of handling large number of students they
admit?
a. Yes
b. No
6. What do you feel are the reason for stress amongst children?
Reason Rank (1-5)
Relationship
Being bullied
Exams
Feeling like failure
Friends/family
Other __________________________________.
Relaxation /meditation
Get counselling
Talk to faculties
Others
Particulars Hours
Studies
Sleep
Entertainment/recreation/fun time
Interaction with parents/relatives/friends
Physical activities
Social media
15. How do you react when your child shares the bad performance results?
a. Use stick approach
b. Scold your ward
c. Try to understand the problem
d. Motivate him/her positively for future
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________