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Indian Colleges Ordered to Make Rooms Suicide-Proof Following Student Deaths

Indian Colleges Ordered to Make Rooms Suicide-Proof Following Student Deaths

A series of tragic student suicides in an Indian city has spurred local authorities to take action, mandating the retrofitting of college hostels to prevent students from hanging themselves from ceiling fans.

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Kota, situated on the fringes of the desert in Rajasthan state, has become a center for private coaching institutes that cater to young aspirants seeking admission to some of the nation’s most esteemed medical and engineering schools.

Regrettably, the city has gained notoriety due to a concerning number of student suicides. The matter reached the attention of India’s junior education minister, who faced inquiries regarding these tragic deaths in the parliament last month.

In response, the Kota district administration has issued an order directing student accommodation establishments to reconfigure the positioning of ceiling fans in bedrooms in a way that eliminates the potential for supporting a person’s weight.

The directive stated, “To curb the rising instances of suicides among coaching students in Kota city, all operators of hostels and private guesthouses in the state are instructed to install a security spring device in the fans of each room.”

More than 150,000 students from across the nation are currently enrolled in over 300 private colleges within Kota, as reported by media sources. Tragically, the city has reported approximately two dozen student suicides this year, an increase from the 15 recorded throughout the entirety of 2022.

India’s comprehensive suicide data is uneven. In 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the National Crime Records Bureau, the country witnessed over 164,000 suicide-related deaths. Among these, students accounted for eight percent of the cases, with academic struggles often cited as a contributing factor.

Subhas Sarkar, India’s deputy education minister, addressed the parliament in July, highlighting government initiatives aimed at assisting young individuals in coping with the “stress and emotional adjustments” associated with student life. Sarkar also noted that higher education institutions are actively striving to enhance student “happiness and wellness,” including the implementation of regular yoga sessions.

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