Matter of serious concern: Students committing suicide
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Dr Satyawan Saurabh
Mental stress has become the most common factor behind the uncontrollable increase in student suicides. The graph of suicides of stressed students is increasing. As the days of exams come closer, the stress of students starts crossing the limits. The entire young generation having to face such situations during their exam days has become a matter of grave concern for the country and society, parents,, and educationists. The education sector has not been able to overcome many basic serious problems and challenges that have been prevailing in the field for decades.
Since competitive examinations have been made compulsory for admission to professional courses, Indian students face immense stress to compete and perform. The inability to handle the pressure of performance, meet parental expectations,, and achieve aspirations can lead to psychological distress and subsequent depression. The relentless pursuit of academic excellence in the modern education system has inadvertently created an environment of intense pressure and competition among students. The excessive focus on academic achievement, along with social expectations and fear of failure, has had a significant impact on the mental health of students. This has contributed to a rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression,, and stress. Given the growing competition, students are often under constant pressure to perform well. They compare themselves to others and aggressively strive for perfection. This underlying pressure can manifest in various forms of mental distress, including anxiety, fear of failure,, and low self-esteem. In severe cases, mental health problems can lead to self-harm and even suicidal thoughts.
The mental development of children is being hampered due to the heavy burden of a competitiveve curriculum. Due to this, children have to suffer a lot. Another major reason for the seeds of stress in the lives of children is that after long school hours, children get busy in completing their homework as soon as they return home. After this, they rush for tuition. Eating, drinking, sleeping, sports, everything becomes haram. They do not get time to rest and do other extracurricular activities. In such a situation, students suffer from less sleep and depression or severe stress. In the current competitive era, cases of student suicide are constantly increasing. Exam- centric education leads to suicides of students in India; comparing academic excellence with marks, the pressuresure of study,, and performance are important factors behind this depression.
A simple interview with any student preparing for any competitive exam in India, be it JEE, NEET,, or CLAT, will reveal that the major source of mental distress among students is the unbearable amount of pressure put on them by almost everyone. Every teacher, every relative,, reiterates the importance of studying hard and getting into a good college. While casual inquiries about what a student aspires to do after graduating from school, or where his interests lie, are seldom made.
The highly complex nature of many of these exams (not all) inevitably means that in order to pass them,, parents have to fulfill their dream of enrolling their children in prestigious coaching centers; this compounds the problem for the student in more ways than one,, as he is now under increased pressure to pass the exam to repay the money spent by the parents on coaching and also has to face additional pressures from the coaching institute. Unless this vicious system is eradicated from the examination culture of the country, no visible change will be seen in terms of curbing the suicide rate among students. The government must take cognizance of this issueif we really think that "today's children are tomorrow's future.". Forced career choices make many students succumb to a tremendous amount of pressure, especially from their family and teachers regarding their career choices and studies. Lack of support from educational institutions is not equipped to deal with the mentalntal health issues of children and adolescents,, and there is a lack of centers and trained human resources for guidance and counseling.
In such a difficult time, there is a great need to study the nature and tendency of suicide among students afresh, because the entire youth intellectual wealth of the country is at stake, the far-reaching consequences of which can bring a deep wrinkle on the forehead of the entire nation. The entire structure of developmental progress established on the shoulders of the youth can come crashing down. Students should take it as a challenge and face it with full potential. Examination is not a question of life and death.
One has to make his own path of success by not considering the examination results as the ultimate basis of life. Success is not achieved in any field of life without hard work. Parents have to understand what kind of domestic behavior they should have with their children. To deal with the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among students, a multi-faceted approach is needed that includes individuals, institu- tions, and society as a whole. Redefining success and encouraging students to pursue their passions and interests is essential to promote their mental health and well-being. Moving beyond a narrow definition of success based solely on academic achievement allows students to explore their unique talents and find fulfillment in their chosen path.
Teachers need to be trained as gatekeepers,, and innovative methods of examination should be adopted to reduce risk factors for suicide. Students need to be appreciated,, and it is important to change how Indian society views education. It should be a celebration of efforts and not marks. Effective counselling centres should be set up in all schools/colleges/coaching centres to address students’ anxiety, depression,, and other mental health issues. Learning from past failures and taking immediate steps involving all stakeholders,, including students, parents, teachers, institutions,, and policymakers, is needed to address the growing crisis.
The writer is a poet, freelance journalist and columnist, radio and TV panelist
Mental stress has become the most common factor behind the uncontrollable increase in student suicides. The graph of suicides of stressed students is increasing. As the days of exams come closer, the stress of students starts crossing the limits. The entire young generation having to face such situations during their exam days has become a matter of grave concern for the country and society, parents,, and educationists. The education sector has not been able to overcome many basic serious problems and challenges that have been prevailing in the field for decades.
Since competitive examinations have been made compulsory for admission to professional courses, Indian students face immense stress to compete and perform. The inability to handle the pressure of performance, meet parental expectations,, and achieve aspirations can lead to psychological distress and subsequent depression. The relentless pursuit of academic excellence in the modern education system has inadvertently created an environment of intense pressure and competition among students. The excessive focus on academic achievement, along with social expectations and fear of failure, has had a significant impact on the mental health of students. This has contributed to a rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression,, and stress. Given the growing competition, students are often under constant pressure to perform well. They compare themselves to others and aggressively strive for perfection. This underlying pressure can manifest in various forms of mental distress, including anxiety, fear of failure,, and low self-esteem. In severe cases, mental health problems can lead to self-harm and even suicidal thoughts.
The mental development of children is being hampered due to the heavy burden of a competitiveve curriculum. Due to this, children have to suffer a lot. Another major reason for the seeds of stress in the lives of children is that after long school hours, children get busy in completing their homework as soon as they return home. After this, they rush for tuition. Eating, drinking, sleeping, sports, everything becomes haram. They do not get time to rest and do other extracurricular activities. In such a situation, students suffer from less sleep and depression or severe stress. In the current competitive era, cases of student suicide are constantly increasing. Exam- centric education leads to suicides of students in India; comparing academic excellence with marks, the pressuresure of study,, and performance are important factors behind this depression.
A simple interview with any student preparing for any competitive exam in India, be it JEE, NEET,, or CLAT, will reveal that the major source of mental distress among students is the unbearable amount of pressure put on them by almost everyone. Every teacher, every relative,, reiterates the importance of studying hard and getting into a good college. While casual inquiries about what a student aspires to do after graduating from school, or where his interests lie, are seldom made.
The highly complex nature of many of these exams (not all) inevitably means that in order to pass them,, parents have to fulfill their dream of enrolling their children in prestigious coaching centers; this compounds the problem for the student in more ways than one,, as he is now under increased pressure to pass the exam to repay the money spent by the parents on coaching and also has to face additional pressures from the coaching institute. Unless this vicious system is eradicated from the examination culture of the country, no visible change will be seen in terms of curbing the suicide rate among students. The government must take cognizance of this issueif we really think that "today's children are tomorrow's future.". Forced career choices make many students succumb to a tremendous amount of pressure, especially from their family and teachers regarding their career choices and studies. Lack of support from educational institutions is not equipped to deal with the mentalntal health issues of children and adolescents,, and there is a lack of centers and trained human resources for guidance and counseling.
In such a difficult time, there is a great need to study the nature and tendency of suicide among students afresh, because the entire youth intellectual wealth of the country is at stake, the far-reaching consequences of which can bring a deep wrinkle on the forehead of the entire nation. The entire structure of developmental progress established on the shoulders of the youth can come crashing down. Students should take it as a challenge and face it with full potential. Examination is not a question of life and death.
One has to make his own path of success by not considering the examination results as the ultimate basis of life. Success is not achieved in any field of life without hard work. Parents have to understand what kind of domestic behavior they should have with their children. To deal with the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among students, a multi-faceted approach is needed that includes individuals, institu- tions, and society as a whole. Redefining success and encouraging students to pursue their passions and interests is essential to promote their mental health and well-being. Moving beyond a narrow definition of success based solely on academic achievement allows students to explore their unique talents and find fulfillment in their chosen path.
Teachers need to be trained as gatekeepers,, and innovative methods of examination should be adopted to reduce risk factors for suicide. Students need to be appreciated,, and it is important to change how Indian society views education. It should be a celebration of efforts and not marks. Effective counselling centres should be set up in all schools/colleges/coaching centres to address students’ anxiety, depression,, and other mental health issues. Learning from past failures and taking immediate steps involving all stakeholders,, including students, parents, teachers, institutions,, and policymakers, is needed to address the growing crisis.
The writer is a poet, freelance journalist and columnist, radio and TV panelist