Chennai: IIT Madras launched a wellness survey on Thursday by which greater than 30 counsellors will maintain a one-to-one dialog with all college students, workers, and college of the institute, the director of the institute mentioned.

The transfer comes after 4 college students died by suicide from February to April within the institute. The survey is being carried out by an impartial company underneath the aegis of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Tamil Nadu, IIT-M mentioned. The counsellors are assigned by the NHM.

“Happiness is a collective responsibility. IIT Madras is committed to working towards ensuring the wellness of all in her campus,” mentioned IIT-M director V Kamakoti. “The independent wellness survey is one of the important steps taken in this direction.”

Recognising that the emotional well-being of scholars is a priority, IIT-M just lately additionally launched a “happiness” web site. During IIT-M’s sixty fourth institute day on April 20, Kamakoti had mentioned that when the campus re-opened after the Covid-19 pandemic, they had been challenged with an “unprecedented number of unfortunate events.”

And a day after that, an undergraduate pupil died by suicide inside his hostel room on the campus making it the fourth suicide within the premiere institute since February. The current spate of suicides started in September final 12 months with a 21-year-old pupil. On February 14, a postgraduate pupil died by suicide and one other pupil tried suicide by consuming drugs however he was rescued.

Following this the scholars had gone on an in a single day protest in opposition to the administration. They positioned a listing of calls for and actions with Kamokoti together with an exterior skilled committee to check the psychological well being of IIT-M college students, addressing the professor- pupil relationship for analysis students, growing amenities on the institute’s medical centre. IIT-Madras director had then mentioned that monetary stress, private causes, educational strain and well being points are key causes behind suicides on the campus.

Earlier on March 14, a 20-year-old pupil died by suicide inside a hostel in IIT-M. On March 31, PhD analysis scholar in IIT-Madras died exterior of campus and his brother accused his PhD supervisor of pressuring him. Again, the scholars went on a protest searching for justice and demanding that the supervisor be saved away pending inquiry. The director then barred the supervisor from visiting the division’s laboratory till the completion of the inquiry.