Navigating IIT dream

A teenager studying for 12-14 hours a day at a coaching centre hopes to get into the best engineering college and land a job in a multinational company. The sheer joy of getting into an IIT makes all the hard work worth it. The well-oiled machine, perfect in calculations, is now well on its way to success. Yet, even before the sheen wears off, the machine starts stuttering, struggling to cope with falling grades and a wearying knowledge of a growing burden. The setting up of a national task force by the Supreme Court in March to investigate the suicides is a recognition of the pressures that students face as they fight to stay in the race.

Stepping into the competitive world reveals the baggage of every student — a huge financial and emotional investment that builds on the dream of a powerful future. However, while admission to an IIT is seen as a sure ticket to success, what the student faces, once in, is a microcosm not very different from the world outside. While accusations of casteism, language barriers and social isolation lurk in most corridors, a life snuffed out after months of silent cries for help reflects the effect of the aspirational burden on critical thinking and basic life skills. The result? Committees that highlight individual mental health problems while giving a clean chit to the structure that fails to identify such problems in the first place.

Many IITs have a psychiatrist and a counsellor who advise students, but the grades do not reflect the development needed. The recent suicide by a BTech student at IIT-Ropar highlights the plight of students who give in to the pressures.

Statistics reveal that most students who opted out of life belonged to marginalised sections of society and failed to achieve grades that would attract the best in the corporate world. It would generally leave you with a huge debt and the social ostracisation of being at the bottom would mean that you were no longer part of the elite.

What is worrisome is the lack of support. An RTI filed by Dheeraj Singh, founder of the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, in 2023 revealed that more than 115 students had died by suicide in IITs since 2005.

What leads to students taking the extreme step? Is it more a cry for help than a genuine desire to give up? However, suicide is usually a spontaneous action, which many regret, albeit too late. “I hope my life is saved," the student admitted to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, whispered in his final days.

Struggling alone becomes a causal factor to obfuscate rational decision-making. It is critical to identify the problem at this stage.

While the JEE Mains is now conducted in 13 languages, once the student is admitted to BTech, he is expected to be on a par with his peers fluent in English. A general language course rarely helps a student for whom the extra year of study is also a burden in terms of opportunity cost. A few private universities do invest in a language trainer. However, lack of empathy for students on the margins makes the “reserved category" a pejorative identity marker.

Another factor is individual resilience. For most students, engineering is a ticket for social mobility. It is the vulnerable few who need help. Academic pressure is compounded by expectations, and the inherent hierarchy that marks colleges in India can crush the softer spirit. Mental health surveys would identify dangers.

Is the performance tracked of candidates who took the exam in native languages? Is there equity in placements? Should there be a minimum grade in English for admissions? How far does the system build resilience? The government must consider these questions. For, students are our assets.

Lekha Roy is an academic and writer.

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