Kolkata: At IIT Kharagpur, the number of students per faculty adviser should be reduced by half, paving the way for doubling the interaction time between the two sides and establishing a personal connection between students and teachers: This idea was proposed by students during an interaction with an external expert committee on Monday at the Senate Hall. The students’ representatives also proposed a counselling session for first-years to do away with the stigma around mental health issues.A source said, “Each faculty adviser now mentors 50-60 youngsters. The students proposed reducing this number to 25 to make interactions more effective. This will also foster a personal connection between a teacher (mentor) and students (mentee).” The external expert committee, formed to investigate the rise in suicide deaths on the IIT-Kharagpur campus, held discussions with counsellors, students’ representatives, faculty advisers, deans, doctors, wardens, staff members and security personnel before suggesting measures to strengthen the ecosystem for students’ well-being. The committee will meet IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty on Tuesday.During the interaction, students spoke about academic pressure, placement and internship stress and family issues and expectations. They stressed the need to focus on youngsters with inhibitions, to offer them a platform, where they can communicate with others. A student said, “We propose a mandatory counselling session for first-year students to normalise counselling centre visits.” Pointing out that co-curricular activities could help bridge the senior-junior gap, a student said, “It will not only be a stress-buster, but will also boost confidence, foster friendship and help students learn new things from batch mates and seniors.”The discussions were held after a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, Ritam Mondal, was found hanging in his hostel room on Friday. It was the fourth death in seven months and the fifth in a year at IIT Kharagpur.
