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Journalism of Courage
With 23 students having allegedly died by suicide in Kota this year, the city’s attempts to prevent such deaths have come under the spotlight again. From the deputy collector to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, many have urged the aspirants there to not be afraid of failure. The Rajasthan government has taken several steps to help the students and police have a dedicated cell to reach out to the aspirants.
Kota is known as the hub of coaching centres preparing students for undergraduate entrance tests JEE and NEET. Students from across India flock to the city to enrol in some of the top coaching institutes in the country.
As per media reports, a high-level empowered committee recently recommended that coaching institutes reduce study hours and create a friendly environment by adding fun activities (such as yoga) to their routines. Some institutes have asked hostels to install a spring device on ceiling fans and “anti-suicide nets” on roofs and in balconies.
But are these measures actually helpful? The students are not fully convinced.
At most of these popular classes, the day begins at around 7 am and ends in the afternoon (1 pm to 2.30 pm), with each class lasting nearly an hour. There are evening batches for the rest of the students. Some teachers also host “doubts classes” in breaks if students request for them. On the other hand, some coaching centres have fixed timings for such special classes.
While the corporate world is debating the benefits of adopting a five-day work week, the students in Kota are still attending classes 6 days a week with the seventh day being the “test day”, which some say is a trigger for stress.
Another issue is the class strength, which ranges from 40 to 50 students, while a few classes have up to 100 to 200 students each. Although experts have suggested that classes should not be segregated on the basis of performance, some coaching centres are yet to make a conclusive decision on this.
Tuition fees for these classes cost nearly Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh per year. There are also special packages with higher fees. If a student plans to buy a package for two years, the fee is around Rs 2 lakh to 2.50 lakh. There are additional costs for the hostel, electricity and laundry. Coaching centres also offer scholarships for students and exemption in fees is given on the basis of performance in scholarship tests. Also, some coaching centres have a discount rate for Hindi-medium students with packages as low as Rs 75,000 per year for coaching and Rs 1,80,000 per year for coaching, hostel and food combined.
Nearly two lakh students come to Kota every year, and most of them are living away from their families for the first time. They have to manage a lot of things by themselves, like taking care of themselves, their chores, food, health and more.
“When we leave our home and come to live here alone, there are a lot of adjustments that we need to make, be it accommodation, availability of food and missing out on special days. That is something that we are mentally prepared for, but if we don’t communicate with our family and friends, that can lead to problems of loneliness,” Suifyaan Ansaari, a NEET candidate from Lucknow, told indianexpress.com.
In such cases, having a strong support system in Kota becomes essential. Ansaari, who is a first-time repeater of NEET UG, lives with his sister’s daughter, who is in Class 10 and is also preparing for NEET UG. Having a family member around helps by giving you that familiar feeling, he said.
The students who do not have a family member in Kota rely on friends, who then become family, or good-natured landlords.
“My landlord was really kind and helpful and treated me like family. My landlord’s son was a teacher at Allen and would help with my doubts whenever I needed. From the smallest of things to cheering me up when I scored less marks, my landlord would always be there for me to talk,” remembered Divyansh Jaiswal, who studied at Kota in 2021-2023 for JEE preparation.
Not all students, however, are thus lucky. Tamanna Saraogi, who lived in Kota in 2018, remembers how the stress gave her a mental breakdown and she eventually changed her stream. “Though the teachers and mentors were really good, I was unable to perform and score well. Plus there was homesickness too. I took a drop year in 2017 after my Class 12 but still couldn’t clear the exam. It hit me hard and I had a mental breakdown and slipped into depression. It was then that my parents, teachers and doctors told me to change the field as there is a lot of mental pressure,” she said.
She is currently pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from ISBR Business School, Bengaluru.
Keeping in mind the increasing stress among students, the authorities asked the coaching institutes to stop conducting routine tests for the next two months. But some students argue that these tests help them assess their preparation and give them a helpful reality check.
Naitik, an 18-year-old preparing for JEE Main 2025, said the tests help him and his classmates revise the portion of the JEE syllabus they have covered, and “gives us an accurate picture of how much we have understood, and what are the areas we need to work on”.
He added that these tests help them prepare for the JEE exam environment, with the tests usually conducted in a pattern similar to the one followed by the National Testing Agency.
NEET student Ansaari concurred with the view. He said that even though the government had halted the tests, he had “downloaded previous year exams from my institute’s resources and I have been practising with that in my own room. I put a timer on, switch off my phone and create the environment of an exam hall while attempting these tests”.
Asked why he was keen to score good marks in these tests, Ansaari said, “Without these exams, I won’t be able to assess my performance, and that will actually give me more stress.”
Another student, who has been in Kota for the past two years, believes that if coaching centres had to conduct internal tests, they could do it without having the word come out of the classrooms. “If a teacher decides to conduct a small mock test in class, who will get to know? They can start quizzes etc which are not tests in the literal form but can still have the same impact. The problem is not these tests, but the way students are embarrassed by teachers about how much they score,” said *Radha (name changed on request).
Some of the teachers have also agreed with the need to conduct tests, which they believe have more benefits than harm.
A mental health expert, Dr Rachna Mishra, agreed with the students’ requests and said that while “internal assessment can provide valuable feedback and help students in their progress, excessive pressure or competition is what leads to stress”. She added that coaching centres should periodically assess the impact of these assessments and be willing to adjust their assessment strategies accordingly.
The Kota authorities have urged coaching centres not to segregate students into batches on the basis of their academic performance. They believe that centres privileging “elite” batches is a demotivating factor for other students, who often get a feeling of defeat.
However, students who are a part of the “Kota factory” believe segregating batches has actually helped them not feel burdened to match the speed of the toppers or be embarrassed about their performance.
“The reason toppers and low-scoring students are not put in the same section is that it helps teachers decide the pace and method of teaching. A student who is scoring less cannot be taught at the same pace as a topper. Tutors take time to explain topics to students who are unable to understand topics quickly. If the sections are mixed, it will turn out to be a waste of time for the toppers and an embarrassment for the low-scoring students. This will only increase the tension between the students. Right now, we all get along very nicely,” Ansaari explained.
Agreeing with this, Jaiswal, who was in Kota in 2021-2023, said the students who are at the top of their game need better competition, and thus not segregating sections by their academic performance will hamper the performance of those who are doing well.
One of the biggest changes that students are demanding is proper breaks in the 7-day study week. “Till before the new rule of pausing tests for a while, we used to have classes from Monday to Saturday and then a test on Sunday. This causes a lot of stress as we are constantly preparing for the Sunday verdict. We don’t get time to pursue our hobbies, relax, de-stress, interact with friends or family or study other subjects,” a 20-year-old NEET aspirant, Somdutt, said.
Shubhi Srivastava, a JEE aspirant in Kota, also believes that coaching centres should give students a one-day break before the tests, not after them. Coaching centres in Kota conduct tests every three weeks or in a month and give students a break after the tests. “Giving a break before the exam would reduce some of the stress and give us time to revise and prepare. Students get disheartened if they don’t perform well in these tests,” said Shubhi.
Teachers also think the way classes are scheduled can get “very hectic and stressful” for students. “I have cleared JEE too, and back in my time it used to be three days of classes and three days of rest, with one day for tests. That gave us a lot of time to relax and self-study. It was possible back then, so it is possible now too,” said a JEE teacher on condition of anonymity.
Another important aspect flagged by students and teachers is the importance of career counselling and communication. “Students need to be reminded that not clearing these competitive exams is not the end of the world. Be it your dream or your parents’, this is not the end. A lot of students in Kota forget that and think they will be termed as a ‘loser’ by the society if they don’t clear the exam,” Somdutt said.
Another student, Naitik, said that students tend to cut off communication with their families due to lack of time. Sometimes they stop talking to their friends also, as they are considered competitors.
“Communication is the key, even if you are in direct competition with them. It is important to not isolate yourself because once the loneliness starts getting to you, the downfall begins. And there is no bigger solution than human interaction, love and care,” he added.
