Kota, a small city in Rajasthan, once known for its pleasant and slow life with a clean atmosphere, is today the hub for coaching institutes. Every year, thousands of students go to Kota with big dreams, as this city has built a reputation for producing top academic performers. Known for its intense IIT-JEE Coaching and NEET Preparation programs, Kota coaching institutes promise to turn aspirations into achievements.

But beneath this promise of success lies a deeper and darker reality, and that is - Student Pressure, Academic Stress, and a growing Mental Health Crisis.

How Kota Became the Coaching Hub

In India, competitive exams like IIT-JEE and NEET are given utmost importance as they often decide the course of a young person's future. Therefore, it is no surprise that the demand for coaching institutes has exploded. Parents spend lakhs of rupees to enrol their children in top institutes in Kota, hoping to secure a better life for them. No wonder the coaching industry in India has grown into a multi-billion-rupee business.

Have you ever wondered why coaching centres are in such high demand in our country? It’s none other than the intense competition and pressure. With lakhs of students competing for a few thousand seats, the pressure to succeed is immense. And that’s when coaching centres promise to turn dreams into reality, and every year, thousands of students arrive with high hopes.

Academic Stress and The Mental Health Crisis

While Kota is seen as an education hub for nurturing dreams, it is also a place where academic stress reaches a point where students can’t handle it. Students often spend 10-12 hours a day studying, juggling classes, tests, and doubt sessions. The competition is fierce, and the fear of failure is constant. This creates an environment of high academic stress and intense anxiety. Students, some as young as 14, are enrolled in rigorous programs that leave little room for play, rest, or emotional well-being. It’s not just the coaching institutes that create the pressure, parents also contribute to the pressure with their high expectations, often pushing children beyond their limits. Therefore, in recent years, the headlines have been disturbing: rising Student Suicides, increased Dropout Rates, and severe Burnout in Students.

What Can Be Done?

Studying in Kota is not easy - the lonely and isolated hostel life away from home, the pressure to succeed, not getting enough time to relax or unwind, and the pressure of not letting down their parents often lead to burnout in students both mentally and physically. Here’s what can be done to support the students.

• Conduct Regular Mental Health Workshops.
• Reduce academic pressure with more engaging teaching methods and allowing flexibility in deadlines and test schedules.
• Set up helplines for students to speak confidentially about their struggles.
• Parents should have open conversations with their kids and visit them in between to lend them the support and love that they need.
• Parents should also have a realistic expectation of their kids and should not compare them with others.

Kota’s coaching institutes have undeniably helped thousands of students achieve their dreams of entering prestigious institutions, but it is also a place where immense pressure can sometimes overshadow dreams.

It is important to know that cracking an exam is not the ultimate goal, but raising emotionally strong, confident, and happy individuals is important.