Student Suicides Haunt Indias Top Tech Schools Amid Strict Rules

Here’s a rewritten version of the article in a neutral newsroom style:

Student Deaths at Indian Engineering Colleges: A Decade-Long Trend

Over the past two decades, at least 160 students have died across India’s premier engineering colleges, with 69 fatalities occurring in the last five years. One such case is that of Varad Nerker, a 26-year-old student who recently passed away by suicide.

Varad had secured admission to IIT-Delhi, one of the original seven institutions established before 2000 and considered among the most prestigious in India. His father, Sanjay Nerkar, had been waiting for his son’s phone calls since he left home for studies nearly a decade ago. However, Varad stopped calling him two years ago due to intense academic stress.

According to IIT-Delhi, Varad was one of eight students who died by suicide at the institution since 2021. The college has reported a total of 65 student suicides across its campuses and affiliated institutions over the past few years.

India’s engineering colleges are highly competitive, with millions of students vying for limited spots in prestigious programs. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main is a computer-based screening that attracts around 1.3 million high school graduates each year, while only about 250,000 qualify for the next round, JEE Advanced.

The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is another highly competitive exam, with around 800,000 to 1,000,000 candidates appearing annually, resulting in an average of one in 72 for BTech courses and one in 117 for MTech courses.

While IIT graduates are often associated with lucrative careers and high salaries, the reality is that many students struggle to find employment. In 2024, about 38 percent of IIT graduates went unplaced, according to the institutions’ data.

The Global IIT-IIM Alumni Support Group has been working on mental wellbeing and supporting bereaved families, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of life at India’s premier engineering colleges.

Source: Al Jazeera