Authorities Ask Coaching Centres In Kota To Stop Routine JEE, NEET Tests

Following a series of tragic suicides, authorities in Kota have taken a significant step by urging coaching institutes to temporarily halt their regular testing for NEET and JEE aspirants.

In this year alone, the district has witnessed the loss of 22 students who were diligently preparing for competitive exams, marking the highest toll in any single year. Last year, this number stood at 15, further highlighting the gravity of the situation.

With this backdrop, the administration has reached out to coaching institutes in Kota, Rajasthan, requesting them to suspend their customary assessment practices for the next two months. This decision has been prompted by recent instances of students taking their own lives.

Every year, over two lakh students converge on Kota, aiming to excel in competitive exams like the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical college admissions.

Regrettably, the count of students who have chosen to end their lives this year is now at 22, a distressing record. Just last year, this number was at 15, emphasising the escalating nature of the issue.

In an unfortunate incident, Avishkar Shambaji Kasle, aged 17, leapt from the sixth floor of his coaching institute's building in Jawahar Nagar shortly after completing a mock NEET test. Similarly, Adarsh Raj, aged 18, who was also a candidate for these competitive exams, took his own life by hanging in his rented accommodation.

It appears that the driving force behind these two tragic events was the pressure stemming from underperforming in routine tests conducted by the coaching centres.

In response to these distressing events, the Kota district collector, OP Bunkar, issued a directive on Sunday night, urging coaching institutes to suspend their customary testing procedures for the upcoming two months. This decision has been made with the intention of providing essential "mental support" to aspiring students.