Team Blitz India
CHENNAI: Concerned over suicide by students, IIT-Madras has decided to map student behaviour by studying their attendance in classes and labs, visits to mess, and places like gym to detect early signs of stress and depression. It will also use an app that will let parents have regular interactions with their children.
V Kamakoti, Director, said these efforts will be part of institute’s larger suicide prevention approach. The institute saw four cases of suicides between February to July 2023.
“We have found that students are not regular to classes and mess during the initial stages of depression. So, we are trying to catch them early and help,” he said.
Students are required to mark their attendance in classes, mess and other facilities they access. This data will now be consolidated and analysed. In 10 days, a face recognition tool will make the attendance system foolproof. Saying the initiatives would not “intrude on anybody’s privacy,” Kamakoti said, “We will just consolidate that data to see patterns.”
The institute has also tied up with a hospital for counselling the students. Counsellors have been visiting hostels and departments regularly, he said and added that there is an option for tele counselling as well. Faculty members have also been trained to look for student who are depressed.
The institute also plans to rope in parents to provide emotional support to students. “We will use some platform to get parents talk to their wards at least twice a week, he added.
