NHRC takes note of students' suicide in Rajasthan

The Rights body issued a notice to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary, Union Secretary of Higher Education and the Chairperson of National Medical Commission and sought a report over the matter, a statement said here on Wednesday.

"The Chief Secretary is expected to submit a detailed report of the incident. It must also spell out the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the State about the regulatory mechanism to control the private coaching institutes in view of the large number of reported suicides of students,'' the NHRC said.

"In addition, it must also contain a formulation of a long-term plan to adequately address the issue of psychological and behavioral abnormality of the students undergoing coaching in different private institutes in Kota, by providing adequate counseling to them, including the parents, so that they should not feel lonely or under huge pressure of expectation of the family members and the friends, etc," it said.

The Commission said the Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education is expected to inform about the formulation of the 'National Action Plan' of a proportional increase of the seats in technical education as well as medical education and also to evolve the mechanism to get rid of the rat race of getting admission in the private coaching centers to achieve success in the competitive examination of JEE and NEET.

The Chairperson of the National Medical Commission is expected to inform about initiating some progressive and student-friendly mechanisms to get success in NEET without being subjected to huge mental and psychological pressure while undergoing coaching in private institutions, the statement said.

"The contents of the media report, if true, amount to a grave issue of human rights. Over the years, Kota has become a hub of private coaching centers for the aspirants of the NEET. They are charging a very hefty amount. Students, from across the country, are staying in hostels/paying guest houses with a high expectation of success. This is putting them under a lot of pressure. There is a need to regulate private coaching institutes," the NHRC said.

The Commission said it feels that there is a need to formulate a regulatory mechanism and since the regulation of higher education is of the state subject, the need for evolving mechanism shall fall upon the state, in consultation with the central government.

According to reports, two of the deceased students were from Bihar and the third one was from Madhya Pradesh. All the three students were taking coaching classes for the NEET.