Murmu on students’ suicides: Counselling should be priority

In her inaugural address at the Visitor’s Conference, 2023, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said as per the Central government data, 2,500 students from IITs dropped out in the middle of academic sessions in 2019.

Murmu on students’ suicides: Counselling must be priority

President Droupadi Murmu during the inauguration of the Visitor’s Conference, 2023, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Monday. (ANI)

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In the wake of the recent suicides in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), President Droupadi Murmu stressed the importance of extending support and sympathy to students.

In her inaugural address at the Visitor’s Conference, 2023, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said as per the Central government data, 2,500 students from IITs dropped out in the middle of academic sessions in 2019.

Noting that half of these students were from the reserved category, she urged higher education institutions to “be mindful, act with sympathy and work towards a solution”.

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“On Saturday, a 20-year-old student of IIT Delhi died by suicide. Such cases are happening in other educational institutions also. This is worrisome,” she said.

Read | How homesickness, skewed teacher-student ratio and gender disparity shadow IIT students’ big dreams

She said: “Protecting students against stress, insult and discrimination and counselling them must be the priority of all educational institutions. It is the students who help these institutions reach new heights.”

On the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, Murmu said: “It believes in learner-centric education. Providing equitable and inclusive higher education for students from socially and economically disadvantaged groups is one of NEP’s priorities.”

She also emphasised India’s goal to become a “global knowledge superpower” in its Amrit Kaal. “NEP 2020 clearly says that effective governance and leadership enable cultural excellence and innovation in educational institutions. Institutional leaders are responsible for transforming India into a knowledge superpower,” Murmu said.

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