"It should be teachers' endeavour to ensure safe, sensitive environment for students": President Murmu

New Delhi [India], July 11 : President Droupadi Murmu on Monday pointed out an incident in which a 20-year-old student of IIT Delhi died by suicide and said that such tragic incidents are heart-wrenching.

"On Saturday, a heart-wrenching incident of a 20-year-old student committing suicide has happened in IIT Delhi. Such tragic incidents of suicide have occurred in many other educational institutions. My talk is not limited to any particular institution. This is a matter of concern for the entire education world," Murmu said.

She emphasised that it should be the priority of educational institutions to protect and support their students against stress, humiliation or neglect on their campuses.

"Teachers and heads of institutions should ensure a stress-free environment for students can be stress-free. An analysis done by the central government in the year 2019, on the basis of data from two years, revealed that around 2500 students had left their studies in IITs midway," she added.

"Just as sensible and sensitive head and senior members of a joint family pay attention to the needs of each and every member, all of you the teachers and staff should be sensitive to the needs of the students. All of you are the guiding lights of the students as well as their parents. It should be your endeavour that the students get a safe and sensitive environment like their home on campuses and hostels of higher educational institutions," the President added.

"About half of the students (at institutes of higher learning) belong to reserved classes. There were about 100 dropouts in IIMs, and the majority of them were from reserved classes. The issue of dropouts needs to be addressed very sensitively and a solution needs to be found," she said.

Praising Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and his entire team for conceiving and organising this conference, the President also congratulated all the winners of the Visitor's Awards.

Sharing her life story, of "moving from my small village in Odisha to the city to study", President Murmu said, "Through the creation of an environment of sensitivity towards first-generation students coming to higher-educational institutions, all of you will be discharging an important social responsibility."

"About half of the students (at institutes of higher learning) belong to reserved classes. There were about 100 dropouts in IIMs, and the majority of them were from reserved classes. The issue of dropouts needs to be addressed very sensitively and a solution needs to be found," she said.