By the time I finish writing this editorial, at least two students would have committed suicide somewhere in the corner of the country and I really hope it does not happen. But the truth is, every 55 minutes, a student commits suicide in India. According to last year’s data, which was sent to the Ministry of Home affairs by all Indian states and union territories, over 26, 000 students committed suicide from 2014 to 2018. The recent death of almost 20 students in Telangana, after the Board of Intermediate Education announced their exam scores, is one of the many tragic examples in front of us.
Exam failure is not the only reason behind students taking this extreme step. Pressure to secure a seat in top institutions, poor career choices and not expressing their real concern with elders are other causes that trigger student suicides. Now, if these facts and numbers do make us ponder whether we really allow our children to do what they really want to do in the life, then nothing will make it happen. In fact, many parents across all income groups are still petrified about letting their child do anything less than engineering or other conventional courses.
A ray of the hope in this situation is the gaining acceptability for education intuitions that have adopted slightly unconventional methodologies of teaching. Ashoka University located in Haryana, for instance, does not expect the students to declare their Major until the middle of the second year. This gives students plenty of time to try out various possibilities, to pursue extra-curricular and co-curricular interests, to discover new passions, and perhaps to change the trajectory of their lives.
In this issue, we have identified many such campuses across the country and listed them as ‘25 Must Watch Colleges in India for Campus Placements.’ These colleges have not only challenged the conservative philosophies of education, but also have created extra-ordinary results. India needs many more establishments like them.
Enjoy Reading.
Sarath Shyam