Deaths due to suicide have been increasing in Kota in the last one year. What is happening in Kota that dreams are making us cry here? Kota of Rajasthan is a city which shows dreams to children. Dreams of success, dreams of becoming a doctor or engineer… dreams of achieving some big position in the society… along with these dreams are also the ambitions of the children’s parents.
Many parents even put the burden of their unfulfilled dreams in life on these children. And then the coaching institutes of Kota themselves sell these dreams by exaggerating them. Hoardings related to success and fame turn this race for dreams into a blind race. Such a blind race in which the profit goes to the coaching institutes and the pressure comes on the delicate hearts and minds of young people.
A student said, I am doing it for IIT. And I want it, I will do it anyway. Anything has to be done for that. Another student said, I am in 12th after 11th. I am preparing for IIT. Other girl students also said that they are preparing for the examinations.
Coaching took the form of an industry
Dr. Bharat Shekhawat, HOD of Psychiatry Department of Kota Medical College, said, when coaching started in Kota, there was a pattern that the child used to complete his schooling, after that he used to take admission in coaching. For that there was a preliminary admission test. Only those children who were found eligible were continued coaching further. And those who were not in that stage were told that you do not have much chances in this field, you should go to some other field. Gradually it took the form of an industry. Now the situation is such that any child who wants to come can come. On the contrary, the coaching centers themselves invite people and make phone calls.
Many parents take loans and send their children to study
This blind race to achieve success in quota also has a scary aspect. Children who lag behind due to any reason in the race for success go unnoticed. Many of these children take so much stress that they start to fear for their lives. Firstly, the stress of difficult exams like JEE and NEET, and on top of that, the huge expense of studying in Kota…many parents take loans and send their children to study here. And somewhere this pressure remains constant on the hearts and minds of such children, whether the parents talk to them about this or not.
It is difficult to compensate if you fall ill and lag behind in studies.
A student said that, initially when I was in class four or five, my uncle had said that he would get me to go to IIT. I like engineering i.e. tinkering with machines, so I thought of doing IIT. Education in Kota is more expensive than normal. 1.60 lakh are engaged in coaching. If you stay here for 10 months then it costs Rs 1.20 lakh for hostel and monthly cost is Rs 2-2.5 thousand. If his health worsens then he backs up. I had chickenpox and my exam was also at the same time. So some chapters were missing so questions could not be answered.
This stress of studies lasts for a long time in Kota. Children of 13 to 18 years of age come here for years for preparation. If a child falls ill even for a day, he is left behind in the course. And then it becomes difficult for him to compensate.
The grind of continuous studies fills the minds of children with stress.
Children have very busy days. Classes from 6:30 in the morning, after that some rest and then studies. Test on Sunday and then study. This grind of continuous studies creates a tension in the minds of children, towards which no one pays attention.
