After the third case of suicide in the last five weeks at the institute, the students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, held a protest on campus today, Friday, January 19. The protest gathering was addressed by Director Professor S Ganesh and Professor Shalabh, Dean, Academic Affairs at IIT Kanpur.
In a live stream shared by IIT Kanpur’s media cell Vox Populi via Instagram, the students were heard raising several systematic concerns at the institute including mental health issues, academic distress among students, misuse of authority by faculty and administration, rigid academic policies and more. Students stressed that these issues have led to increasing student suicides on campus.
While addressing the students on Friday, the director ensured them that their concerns would be taken into consideration and discussed with a concerned committee. He further added that an update would be given to the students within a 15-day timeline.
“This institute, including everybody, faculty, students, every life that is lost means equally to me. This is my 23rd year at this institute and I am not an outsider, it is a personal loss. Most of the demands include policy-level and structural changes and would require discussion. We will give a status report on your demands within 15 days,” the Director said.
Major concerns
The students highlighted that one of the major reasons behind grave academic distress among PhD students is the institute’s termination policy, whereas, the enrollment of any postgraduate (PG) or PhD candidate can be terminated if their academic performance is found unsatisfactory or the required credit points have not been achieved.
The students said that in one of the departments, over 30 students were terminated this year and demanded a complete scrapping of the termination policy.
Apart from this, the students said that there is a ‘power imbalance’ between the faculty and students at the premiere institute.
“More than the mental health concern, the issue is about authorities misusing their power. Every time a student tries to raise grievances, he is asked about his warden, his mentor, and his department. In such a situation, how can a student reach out with their concerns when they are threatened that their academic performance can be affected and they will not even receive any help,” a student from the institute said during the protest gathering.
While addressing the students, the Dean of Academic Affairs (DOAA) Professor Shalabh asked the students to submit a list of their concerns adding that they would be taken up by a five-member committee.
Moreover, the students highlighted that the institute needs more experienced mental health professionals to address increasing mental health concerns on campus. So far, the institute has 10 mental health professionals for a student count of over 10,000.
The students also put forth their concerns about the alleged incompetence of redressal bodies on campus, lack of student representation in these committees, and financial hardships being faced by PhD students.
Demands
-Faculty sensitisation programmes to be conducted twice each semester through an external organisation ensuring the removal of the existing power gap between the students and faculty.
- An ombuds committee be constituted with sufficient student representation chaired by external Director General (DG) level officers utilising a transparent feedback system.
- An exit option be given to all the PhD students with tangible thesis completion within the ninth semester.
- Thesis supervisor be held accountable for the thesis exceeding five years along with providing reasoning to the Doctoral Monitoring Committee (DMC) along with an estimated new deadline.
- Reinstatement of all the terminated students with immediate effect.
- Introduction to an institute compulsory course on mental well-being and mutual care in the first year to be conducted in smaller groups.
- Therapy sessions charges to be reimbursed through the medical insurance and inclusion of more trained and experienced counsellors in the Institute Counselling Service.
