On Friday, all the deans and alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) settled down for a two-day event for the discussion on how old grads can help the newer ones and the institute and they came to an interesting conclusion about the mental health concern. PanIIT, an association of alumni of IITians began here with the opening from the IIT Bhilai director Rajiv Prakash said, “Most of the students came from the rural areas and they not only carry the pressure of their family members but also of the village.” Deeksha Awasthi, a Pan-IIT and founder of a mental health platform called DeekshaLife, highlighted her point for the same that like a standard protocol for ragging, there should be a protocol for the mental health concern faced by students.
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Furthermore, she suggested three ways for good mental health, can reduce academic pressure. We should sensitise students to what they expect of them and the reality they will meet once they are on campus. Secondly, IITs should ensure activities, students should visit old age homes and orphanages to understand how privileged they are. Thirdly, there should be self-developmental activities like having good food, being mindful on social media and so on”.
On day 1 of the two-day event, PanIIT saw a host of directors with IIT alumni and directors discussing various issues. The IIT director asked, “What are the issues that result in anxiety among students?” In response, Deeksha explained the students experience new freedom after years of entrance coaching. As soon as they start settling and enjoying the exams appear and they start failing in them.
Loneliness, culture shock, and peer pressure all lead to depression. IIT Jodhpur director Santanu Chaudhary said, “Many children came here because of parental pressure. We offer curated programmes under faculty supervision through which children could opt for humanities and science. We also offer exit paths.” All IIT campuses also allow counsellors to stay in hostels to recognise depression early.
Yet another issue highlighted by the directors was a lack of interest in engineering courses. On this issue, the IIT Tirupati director showed concern and said, “Even if India takes a giant leap in the manufacturing sector, we will face a huge manpower shortage. Those students who take the core subjects also do not end up working in IT but move on to banking, finance and others. There is a need to encourage students to take up engineering courses.”
