Corporate educational institutions, which have 70% of the Intermediate students enrolled with them, are taking undue advantage of the aspirations of parents to push young students into an atmosphere of extreme psychological pressure to exceed at various examinations.
Expressing the inability of his department in curbing this trend, Regional Inspecting Officer B. Suresh Babu says that at least three to ten cases of attempt to suicide are reported from these colleges in Anantapur district. When compared to government junior colleges for students pursuing the same course, that number drops to zero.
Vast syllabus
Some lecturers say that the blame does not lie entirely on the college managements. "The vast syllabus is also to blame. Intermediate students are being made to study topics that we had studied in our post-graduation," says Y.S. Krishna Rao, a Mathematics lecturer at a government college.
Yashaswini, an Intermediate first year student at a corporate college here, shifted to a government college unable to cope with the pace of teaching despite having paid the full tuition fee. "First-year syllabus was to be completed by October in order to devote time for EAMCET/AIEEE coaching," she told The Hindu.
Subjects like English and Sanskrit offer some relief but these are not given importance at corporate colleges, say lecturers.
Aishwarya Kalariparamu, a first year student from another corporate college, says she does not feel any stress. "We have regular classes from 8 a.m. to 12.45 p.m. and study hours from 1.30 p.m. to 5.45 p.m. only if one needs additional guidance," she says.