With the taxing
preparations for competitive exams taking a toll on students, many of the
coaching institutes in Rajasthan’s Kota are turning to Yoga and Zumba to help
the wards tackle stress and homesickness.

At least 14
students studying in the coaching hub took the extreme step this year, according
to Kota police.

Prominent coaching
institute Allen, which has enrolled over 1.5 lakh students for various medical
(NEET) and engineering (JEE) entrance preparatory courses, runs regular yoga
sessions and Zumba classes.

“Apart from
this, we have a dedicated helpline which works round the clock and over 50
concerned calls from students or parents are addressed daily through it,”
said Dr. Harish Sharma, principal counsellor and student-behaviour expert at
Allen.

Another
institute of repute, Resonance, has implemented a ‘mentor’ scheme to deal with
the crisis.

“We
encourage students to not only discuss their academic concerns but also
non-academic issues which are causing stress or anxiety. Yoga sessions and
concentration exercises are also among the activities that are encouraged among
the students,” said R K Agarwal, the institute’s managing director, and
academic head.

Curiously,
not a single suicide instance was reported among the students in 2021, when the
coaching centers were shut due to Covid and the students attended classes
online. In the current year, a record two lakh students are studying at various
coaching centers in Kota.