Rajasthan: Gearing up to save students in Kota

‘Anti-suicide’ nets installed at a hostel to catch students in case they jump from higher floors, in Kota. Pic/PTI

‘Half-day study, half-day fun' on one weekday, identification of students with suicidal tendencies and psychological counselling are among the decisions taken on Monday in a meeting on the rising suicide cases in Kota.

Representatives of coaching institutes and hostel association also attended the meeting chaired by Bhawani Singh Detha, principal secretary (higher and technical education), through video conference, officials said. Detha is also chairman of a committee formed on the direction of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to look into the issue. The committee will visit Kota on September 2. Among the other decisions taken in the meeting, coaching institutes have been asked to form a committee of subject experts in an attempt to reduce burden of courses on students.

The institutes have also been asked to hold online motivational sessions by experts and upload them on social media for students. It was decided that coaching institutes will hold ‘half-day study, half-day fun' every Wednesday and not conduct routine tests for the next two days, the officials said. Absentees from tests and poor performers will be identified and provided psychological counselling, they said. The meeting was held as two NEET aspirants committed suicide on Sunday. Avishkar Sambhaji Kasle, 17, and Adarsh Raj, 18, committed suicide on Sunday in a span of four hours. At least 22 students have ended their lives in 2023 - highest for any year.

22
No. of students who committed suicide in Kota this year

FIR for revealing identity of student

An FIR was lodged against Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair in Muzaffarnagar on Monday for allegedly disclosing the identity of a minor boy, who was slapped by his classmates on the instruction of a teacher at Khubbapur village of the district.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Suman said the case has been registered under section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

The complainant Vishnu Dutt alleged that Zubair disclosed the identity of the boy by sharing a video of the incident on social media.

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