After IIT Guwahati suicide, students demand attendance flexibility, more counsellors, placement cell changes

A key demand that students made during an open house held in the wake of the suicide was the resignation of some senior administrative members, including the dean of academic affairs.

At the meeting last week, led by Director Professor Jalihal, the students also called for a relaxation in the policy that requires 75 per cent attendance to be eligible to appear for final exams.

A student who led the protest last week told indianexpress.com that the director had promised to relax the attendance rules. “However, to what extent the attendance rules will be made flexible is yet to be announced by the institute,” the student said.

The IIT’s students have been demanding revision in the policies for a long time.

A student, requesting anonymity, said that new ideas were looked down upon at the institute. He said that students wanted a complete overhaul of the system. Some deans are too rigid, make a mountain out of a molehill and induce stress among students, the student said.

Another demand raised in the meeting was related to the placement cell, where students wanted representatives from all the departments so that all get job opportunities. The cell now has representatives from only seven departments.

While IIT Delhi, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay have activated counselling services to mitigate stress and prevent suicides, IIT Guwahati runs a Centre for Holistic Well-being. However, the students want more counsellors at the centre. They also demand an overhaul in the centre.

The IIT Guwahati’s Students’ Academic Board recently held a survey on streamlining the academic environment of the institute. The survey sought students’ feedback on the revision of grade capping on supplementary exams, the demand for at least one industrial visit per year, a revision in the semester registration policy, addition of more programmes taught at other IITs.

At least 37 students have died by suicide in the last five years across the IITs, the Central Government has informed Parliament. Nine IIT students have died by suicide so far this year, five of them in undergraduate programmes and the rest in postgraduate programmes.