Pressure to keep up with performance, intense competition, debts – including of the non-tuition kind – has led to many cases of stress and dropouts among students. Competition has intensified, be it in admission (there are now 23 IITs), getting high-paying good jobs or opportunities abroad, despite more opportunities. Costs have risen, even as scholarships and fellowships have increased.
But so have aspirations, resulting in an explosion of non-tuition debt. The increased diversity in the student population, a positive development, means informal support systems of the past that relied on social networks of a largely homogenous student body are no longer fit for purpose. The decision to increase counselling and guidance for students is a wise move.
Then there is the inability of students to keep up with the academic load. Dropout rates are particularly high among students from reserved categories. In 2021, about 63% of undergraduate dropouts in the last five years at the top seven IITs were from reserved categories.
This does not mean students from general categories do not drop out. What it shows is a school education system that does not equip students properly for the next level. Allowing students to drop out and return, providing them the required assistance, will help improve the health of the IITs.