Student suicides: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh govts issue guidelines to colleges

Following multiple suicides by students preparing for competitive examinations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, allegedly due to a pressure to perform, education ministers of the two states held separate meetings on Monday and issued several guidelines to colleges.

After a meeting with representatives from various residential junior colleges, education department officials, and academics, Andhra Pradesh HRD and Education Minister G Srinivasa Rao said the colleges were told to reduce study hours. “Students are studying from 4.30 am till 11 pm with two breaks of 15 minutes each and a lunch break of 30 minutes. They are totally stressed out. We asked them to reduce the study hours and introduce an hour for yoga or sports or TV. Colleges must have counsellors to take care of struggling students,’’ Rao said.

Telangana Deputy CM Kadiyam Srihari, who also holds the education portfolio, has suggested setting up counselling centres in the colleges.