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'Stop surfing, make friends'
12/03/2007 12:26 - (SA)
Mumbai - One of India's top engineering
schools has restricted internet access in its hostels, saying
addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting
students' performance, making them reclusive and even suicidal.
Authorities at the elite Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socialising and many
were late for morning classes or slept through them.
"Now, a student doesn't even know who lives two doors away
from him because he is so busy on the internet," said Prakash
Gopalan, dean of student affairs.
"The old hostel culture of camaraderie and socialising
among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion."
IIT-Mumbai, with about 5 000 students, is one of seven IITs
across India which are considered to be among the finest
engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool
for global technology giants.
But their exacting curriculum, tough competition and
reclusive campus lifestyle have taken a toll on students.
Depression and dysfunctional lifestyles are known to be
common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed
suicide in the past five years. IIT-Mumbai has seen two
suicides in two years and several attempts.
Unlimited free internet
Students have unlimited free internet access in their
hostel rooms to help them in their studies, but many also use
it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for
gaming.
Starting on Monday, internet access will be barred between 23:00 and 00:30 at IIT-Mumbai's 13 hostels to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their "shells", Gopalan said.
"There has been a decline in academic performance and also
participation in sporting, cultural and social activities has
gone down," he said.
But the move has not gone down well with students who say
they hate their lives being regulated.
"Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby to go to
sleep," said Rajiv, an electronics student who gave only one
name.
Student anger has also spilled on to several blogs run by
IIT alumni where bloggers say "the birth of the virtual world
had led to the death of the real selves", but add that they
resent regulation of students' activities.
Gopalan said authorities at the other IITs were considering
a similar curb in their hostels.
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