Students blame IIT-M’s inaction for increase in suicides on campus
In the wake of the recent suicide of Fathima Lathief, IIT Madras students said that it is important to understand that many reasons are at play simultaneously and not a single cause could be pointed out for the student taking the extreme step.
By : migrator
Update: 2019-11-15 21:03 GMT
Chennai
“She could have been saved if the institution would have set up complaints and grievances redressal committee in all departments by appointing counsellors,” a student of Humanitarian Department said. He added thatFathima was a bright student and no one would have imagined that she would take such an extreme step.
Though the management of IIT asserted that counselling has been provided for first-year students since last year, he said, “It is the fourth suicide in the past fewmonths on our campus and it is time for the administration to take immediate steps to tackle this serious issue.”
Kaushik Senthoor, member of Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle, IIT, said, “We stand by her (Fathima) family during this difficult period. An investigation is necessaryto assure us that the administration is taking the death of the student seriously”.
He said that the management should appoint psychologists, mental health experts, sociologists and academicians immediately to look into the pressure faced by students, especially those from marginalised social backgrounds, including SC/ST women.
A member of Chinta BAR, a recognised student association, said that the suicide could be the culmination of many reasons.
Stating that the suicides and mental health problems are not something specific to IIT alone, he, however, said, “There are certain issues and problems specific to our campus and the students need a localised action plan.” “Democratisation of university and college campuses could be brought about by conducting student union elections so that a strong representation will be there,” DrI Arul Aram of Federation of University Faculty Associations (TANFUFA) said.
Claiming that systemic curbing of students’ rights by the Union and State governments and also by the Universities must be stopped. The students must beallowed to voice theirviews in the policies of the institution, he added.
Mental health cases rampant among students, shows survey
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, had recently conducted a detailed survey on the mental health of its students and it was found that they were under tremendous stress.
The stress level among Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) students on the campus is high. The survey was conducted by the Fifth Estate (TFE) of IIT Madras, the official media body, to know how do students perceive the extent of mental health issues, sensitisation levels on campus and student awareness about these issues.
Among more than 900 respondents, a large proportion (41.31 per cent) were not sure if they were having mental health issues at the time of facing it. “This shows that there is a need to increase awareness among students about various mental health issues and how to recognise them.
This will encourage them seek help at the right time and alleviate their concerns immediately,” the study said, adding, “This is also a preventive measure as addressing mental health concerns at the right time can prevent them from solidifying into chronic or intensified disorders.”
“This survey clearly indicates that stress is a bigger issue among students. The institution should take steps to solve it or otherwise, things will get worse,” a PG student, attached to the Humanities Department, said.
He said periodical town hall meetings involving experts should be held to further assess the existing mechanism of treating mental health problems of students.
The study further said that 68 per cent respondents feel mental health issues are common on campus. Respondents across both UG and PG have clearly cited ‘professional future’ and ‘academics’ as their top sources of stress, followed by ‘relationships’ and ‘loneliness’.
UG and PG responses differ only in two places. First, 45 per cent of PG students cite research as a major stress point compared to 11 per cent of UG students. Second, 72 per cent of UG respondents cite academics as a major source of stress, compared to 48 per cent of PG students.
The study further said that SC and ST students reflected higher rates of mental health issues, at 71 per cent and 64 per cent respectively, compared to 54 per cent of OBC and 50 per cent of General category students, again pointing to the need for targeted support.
Surprisingly, engineering students show relatively lower rates of mental health issues at 52 per cent compared to all other disciplines -- pure sciences, humanities and social sciences show similar prevalence at 60-61 per cent while management stream reflects the highest at 80 per cent.
On the overall stress rate, the survey said the sources of stress like academics (UG - 72.29 per cent, PG - 48.26 per cent), professional future (UG - 68.56 per cent, PG - 54.57 per cent), research (PG - 45.11 per cent), loneliness (UG - 54.53 per cent, PG - 48.90 per cent), financial troubles (UG - 18.65 per cent, PG - 23.66 per cent).
When contacted, a senior professor of IIT-M said that management is taking all steps to ensure a stress-free campus for the students. “As per the students’ request, there could be separate counselling centres for each department,” he added.
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