Two student suicides every hour: Congress demands regulation of coaching industry

Raising an alarm over the rising number of student suicides in the country, Congress leader and NSUI (National Students' Union of India) in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday blamed the government for creating an education system that pushes students into despair.

Citing shocking figures, he said, "Today, around two students die by suicide every hour — 28 (sic) every day. Just as the system is responsible for farmers' suicides, it is equally responsible for student suicides."

Kumar also condemned the mushrooming of unregulated coaching institutes, which he alleged were exploiting students and parents. "For the past several days, reports have surfaced about coaching institutes vanishing overnight after collecting hefty fees. The government must take responsibility for such systemic failures instead of allowing students and citizens to be crushed between the government and the market," he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP government, Kumar argued that education should not be treated as a commodity for profit. "Earlier, students would take extreme steps after CBSE exam results. The UPA government responded by abolishing the pass-fail system and introducing grading.

"But today, under the BJP regime, we are witnessing the highest unemployment in India's history. Even PhD holders are struggling to find jobs. The future of our youth is being destroyed by this unholy nexus of the state and the market," he added.

The Congress has put forward three key demands to address the crisis:

1. Strengthening government institutions, as a weak public education system makes private sector dominance inevitable.

2. Regulating coaching institutes, which have turned into unregulated profit-making businesses.

3. Filling all vacant government posts through a transparent process to curb unemployment.

With student distress and unemployment rising, Congress has sought urgent intervention from the government, warning that neglecting this crisis will lead to severe consequences for India's youth and future.