Working on law to keep a check on coaching centres: Rajasthan Minister

He also said the government was taking feedback from all stakeholders. “Private colleges or institutes feel that we want to clip their wings or to scare them. We have told them that we will solve their problems, but they also have to improve from their end. At present there are several areas in which the coaching centres are lacking, such as the non-installation of safety nets, and a lack of parking spaces,” he said.

With the deaths by suicide of  two teenagers in Kota on Sunday, the number of student suicides at the coaching hub went up to 23 for this year – the highest in the last eight years.

Yadav said when families invest a lot of money in coaching institutes, the students who lag behind feel guilty and face increased psychological pressure. “The institutes don’t have governance. Some institutes have become purely commercial. We are considering putting some checks on their hoardings and boards. They market their institutes by highlighting the toppers…They don’t say how many students studied from their institute and how many were actual toppers. This is fraud,” he said.

Earlier this month, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had announced the setting up of a committee, comprising all stakeholders such as coaching institutes, parents and doctors, to find ways to prevent student suicides. Yadav said the government was waiting for the committee’s report and would decide on a course of action after it is submitted.