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Since January, IIT-Kharagpur has appointed a dean to assess the welfare of the students and their mental health status in view of the suspected suicides of four students in hostels.
Suicide in IIT Kharagpur: In view of the increasing case of suicide among students in IIT Kharagpur, the IIT administration has decorated the new post of ‘Student Welfare Dean’. This is the first time that such a post of ‘Student Welfare Dean’ has been created in any institute in the country, whose main objective is to keep in mind their well -being keeping in mind the welfare of student welfare. Since January, IIT-Kharagpur has appointed a dean to fully take care of the welfare of the students and assess their mental health status in view of the suspected suicides of four students in hostels. In this regard, Director Suman Chakraborty told PTI on Saturday that Professor Arun Chakraborty of the atmosphere and land science center has been appointed as the dean of the students’ welfare. He has taken charge.
For the first time this post created in any institute in the country
The director said that Arun Chakraborty is actively involved in the induction program for new students for the B.Tech course and is well aware of his issues. The director said that however, like other institutions, IIT Kharagpur also has the dean of student affairs for years. We have created this new position completely to help the students, their overall development and to help them in any situation. In response to a question, he said that this is probably the first time that such a post of ‘Dean of Students Welfare’ has been created in an institution in the country, whose main objective is to keep in mind the good of the students, in addition to the current post of the Dean of Students Affairs, keeping in mind the student welfare. Students are the dean of matters, but the director said that ‘student matters’ and ‘student welfare’ are different words. The dean of student affairs is more than administrative and educational issues, while the dean of student welfare will focus on the mental health of the students. Asked if the post (with formal official notification) has been created after the alleged suicide of four students in the campus in seven months.
16,000 students live in 21 hostels
The director said that we want any of our children not to face additional pressure and stress. He further said that earlier when students used to enroll in IIT-Kharagpur, their parents were convinced that their educational progress, internships and their participation in curricular activities would be taken care of. Now the institute is running programs with the same enthusiasm. But with changes in socio-economic conditions, the mental state of students has also changed. He said that I am already talking to parents so that students do not have extra stress. We are always with them in every situation. Ritam Mandal, a student of fourth year mechanical engineering, was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18, while three other students were also found dead under similar circumstances since January. IIT-Kharagpur has 21 hostels in which 16,000 students live.
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