Striving to make education stress-free, says Lokesh

Vijayawada: Minister for HRD, IT and electronics Nara Lokesh said the reforms have been introduced in education sector for the stress-free education and to check suicides of the students in the state. He said education department is taking the feedback from students, parents and academicians in this regard.

Lokesh, while giving reply to the questions asked by members in Legislative Council on Thursday, said the government is trying to introduce new courses to give more choice to the students and counsellors are being appointed to counsel the students.

Council member B Tirumala Naidu, Duvvarapu Ramarao and Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy asked the HRD minister whether it is true that suicides of students in colleges have increased, whether any study was conducted on it and measures taken by the government to prevent suicides. In response, Lokesh said there is no continuous trend on suicides and there are changes on number of suicides.

The minister said student suicides are caused by different factors like examination stress, burden of fee, ragging and humiliation by teachers, etc.,

He said the Board of Intermediate Education is taking feedback from the students, parents and academicians on the courses and reforms to be introduced in education system to ensure stress-free education.

“Counsellors are being appointed to give counselling to the students and teachers. Lecturers have to identify the early symptoms of students, who may commit suicides,” he said and stressed the need for appointing teachers, developing infrastructure facilities in the government schools and the colleges. He said one government junior college should be established in every mandal in the state.

Member Tirumala Naidu asked the HRD minister to study the Chakrapani

Commission report and implement in the state.

MLC I Venkateswara Rao said the private college managements are not punished for the suicides of the students and students are made victims.

Council chairman K Moshen Raju suggested to Lokesh to appoint a committee to study the reasons for the suicides in colleges.