VIJAYAWADA: An unabating spate of suicides by intermediate students studying at corporate junior colleges across the state has become a major source of concern for the education department.The department, which had issued a circular to colleges on the manner of functioning and the number of working hours, is finding itself helpless due to lack of monitoring by officials on whether that circular is being implemented in earnest. Vijayawada city, with seven corporate junior colleges operating over 60 residential campuses with integrated hostels, is considered a hub for intermediate education in the state. Around a lakh students from both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana study intermediate in the city every year, and 12 students kill themselves on an average every year after failing to cope with the stress and the pressure.An alarmed education department then constituted the Chakrapani Committee last year to recommend measures for prevention of suicides by students.The committee submitted a detailed report in May 2017, spelling out a list of guidelines for educational institutions. Major guidelines included conducting only one exam a month per subject to reduce stress on students, introducing a grading system at Intermediate colleges, allowing students to use cell phones, especially those studying at residential institutions, identifying students with deformities and providing them counselling. The government tried some of theese measures in the past but with little success as the suicides continued to rise.The committee in its report flagged the harsh, demanding schedules adopted by residential junior colleges - students would be woken up at 4.30 am for ‘study hours’ and they would retire for the day at 11 pm - leaving them sleep-deprived and exhausted. The residential students were also confined to their hostels, and would be allowed out only once in a fortnight - that too only for a few hours.The committee also took objection to the weekly tests and year-long examinations that ended up creating a culture of cut-throat competition among students with many suffering from anxiety and depression. Following the recommendations of the Chakrapani Committee, the Board of Intermediate Andhra Pradesh (BIEAP) issued a circular with 18 guidelines mandating the colleges to have classes only from 9 am to 4.30 pm, compulsory playground and extracurricular activities.However, a majority of the colleges ignored these guidelines and went on conducting classes as usual. An Intermediate second year student committing suicide at a private junior college in the city on July 13 brought back the issue to stark focus, with HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao directing officials to conduct a detailed enquiry and take action against the college management if necessary.Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Ganta Hymavathi said negligence by college managements is the prime reason for student suicides at corporate educational institutions. “Students with bright futures are ending their lives due to the immense pressure, and the impact that these suicides have on the classmates and friends of the deceased is tremendous,” she said.“A majority of student suicides are reported as suspicious deaths and we have directed Vijayawada police to file 304A case against the college management for negligence,” Hymavathi said.“The Chakrapani Committee said huge curriculum and stressful atmosphere at colleges are creating suicidal tendencies in Intermediate students and has suggested guidelines. Every school and college should follow the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) guidelines and we will take measures to monitor this. We will monitor the implementation of these guidelines at private junior colleges and hostels with the support of BIEAP to control student suicides,” Hymavathi added.

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