Police in Kota, Rajasthan, have confirmed that the death of a NEET aspirant from Uttarakhand was a suicide. The student, who had been preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, was found to be depressed and stressed about his upcoming exams. The Kota administration has issued guidelines to coaching institutes to prioritise students' mental health.
Hockey India has called an urgent executive board meeting to address a series of sexual harassment, misconduct, and indiscipline cases, considering stringent actions including life bans.
'This is not the end of your preparation. It is an unexpected extension of the race,' say experts.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have been fiscally stressed for a considerable period of time, and there are no easy ways to mobilise revenues to meet the cost of the promised freebies, particularly in the prevailing difficult economic scenario, points out M Govinda Rao.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar participated in an event in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district as part of a grassroots sports initiative aimed at transforming the once Maoist hotbed into a thriving sports hub and opening new avenues for the youth.
Indian shooting federation chief Kalikesh Singh Deo says the body has a zero tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct and will extend full cooperation to the law enforcement agencies investigating the alleged sexual assault of a minor shooter by national coach Ankush Bhardwaj.
IIT Delhi, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, is developing cutting-edge sports technology, including wearable ultrasound sensors for injury prevention and helmets that can detect concussions in real-time, potentially revolutionising athlete safety and performance.
The Supreme Court has directed all states and Union Territories to report on the implementation of guidelines for addressing mental health issues and suicide among students in educational institutions. The Centre has also been asked to file a compliance affidavit.
25 student suicides in 2023 at India's coaching hub Kota have revealed the mindboggling stress children confront every day, reports Prakash Bhandari.
According to Kota police and district administration records, at least 14 students studying in coaching centres in the city committed suicide this year.
The guidelines for regulating coaching institutes have been framed to address the need for a legal framework and manage the unregulated growth of private coaching centres.
The nine-page guidelines have been issued days after the state government set up a 15-member committee headed by education secretary Bhawani Singh Detha to examine the issue after record student suicides were reported from coaching hub Kota.
He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to the commercialisation of education.
What is pushing students to take this extreme step?
If students use AI as an answer machine, they are not going to learn, cautions OpenAI's Leah Belsky.
Criticising the police for arresting an SUV driver and blaming him for the incident, the high court said, "Mercifully, you have not challaned the rainwater for entering into the basement."
According to the officials, the three-storey coaching institute, surrounded by residential and commercial establishments, had permission to use the basement as a store room, but it was being used as library in violation of the rules.
President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
rediffGURU Radheshyam Zanwar counsels students about how to pursue a successful career in science, medicine and technology.
'Parents don't realise that motivating your child or pushing them to do better is one thing and pushing them to the brink is another.'
Failure in examinations, the inability to get an expected score or admission to an educational institution of one's choice often precipitates distress in students and may increase the risk of suicide, warns Dr Rakesh K Chadda.
Instead of repeating the same study patterns, focus on creating a more efficient schedule that prioritises building a strong foundation in maths, physics and chemistry, advises Rohit Gupta, COO, College Vidya.
Ask rediffGURU Aashish Sood your CAT related questions.
Rocked by a spate of student suicides, the city police has set up a dedicated "Student Cell" to reach out to students and make attempts to detect early signs of stress and depression.
The suicides have involved more NEET aspirants than JEE. 'It's a make-or-mar situation.' 'Either you get into a government medical college, where the fee is much lower than in private institutes, or you don't make it.'
Less than six months after she moved to Kota to prepare for medical entrance exam NEET, a 16-year-old girl from Jharkhand's Ranchi allegedly hanged herself to death in her hostel room, the police said.
Wardens and staff members of hostels in Kota will be given professional training in mess management, psychological and behavioural counselling, and other aspects of students' care to equip them to battle the rising number of suicides by aspirants in the coaching hub.
'When I asked whether they would choose a government job that offered Rs 30,000 a month or a private job that offered them Rs 3 lakh a month, without exception, everybody said, "I would rather have the government job!"'
From mothers on sabbatical to grandparents and homemakers, many people are choosing to shift to the coaching hub Kota with their children to ensure they are not stressed while preparing for entrance exams and do not take any extreme step.
rediffGURU Kanchan Rai urges you to talk about your problems so you can seek solutions and also transform your life.
'There is no concept of friendship here...there are only competitors.' 'Every student sitting next to you is seen as an additional burden to fight with.'
Kota, Rajasthan, is both a beacon for the educationally deprived and a cynical place in which 16-year-olds live in Dickensian boarding houses, while teachers drive Audis.
Stanford student Nitya Kanuri believes that a phone-based, anxiety assessment app built in the US can help Indian students manage their stress levels better.
Six times CAT topper rediffGURU Patrick Dsouza explains how you can utilise the final days to improve your performance in the CAT exam.
'Healthcare is not an industry.' 'The government is only encouraging insurance as they are not able to provide healthcare to people.' 'Opening new medical colleges is not what is needed.' 'You have to invest in public sector hospitals.' 'You cannot hand over healthcare to the private industry.'
Despite 26 cases of suicide by coaching students in 2023, the highest in a year, Kota still faces a shortage of clinical psychologists.
The five-page letter by Collector Ravi Kumar Surpur has been dispatched to the coaching institutes in the city and will be forwarded to the parents after translation into Hindi and other regional languages.
The reason behind the suicide was yet to be ascertained as no suicide note was found, police said.
Cash-strapped edtech firm Byju's' parent company said on Monday it will raise $200 million by way of a rights issue to all its equity shareholders, aiming to support growth and achieve operational sustainability. The proposed rights issuance by Think and Learn Private Limited (TLPL) will fund capital expenditure and support general corporate purposes. As the largest shareholders, the founders of Byju's have personally invested more than $1.1 billion in the company in the last 18 months.
Education ads are among the worst offenders when it comes to misleading claims. After keeping tabs on factual discrepancies, the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) is now updating its guidelines for the sector to curb the tendency of such ads to perpetrate negative habits and stereotypes. The industry watchdog has invited public consultation starting on Monday until April 15, following which its updated guidelines will take effect. Inputs and feedback can be sent to contact@ascionline.in.
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