What’s happening in India? Students are dying by suicide? Students are supposed to be the future of India and the world. What has led to this tragedy from happening? Is there something fundamentally wrong at the grassroots level or with our education system? There is definitely something and we need to know so that we can work towards reducing the suicide rate.
The reasons of suicides are varying: failure in examinations, pressure of examinations, problems in career, unemployment etc. Some of these problems are faced by every student in their life, but that doesn’t mean their life is definitely going to end or has no meaning because of these failures. We often hear that failures are the key to success, but do we really understand this and what it conveys?
Because of family, society and the environment, we have been raised in a way that gives no importance to failures, but only to prestige, glory and pride. Our societies do not talk about failures, but only about grades and marks in an examination. If a student doses not score well in an examination, they are tagged as dull, not studious and useless, or looked at by their family or neighbours as if they’ve committed some crime. Once a student is labelled as delinquent, they are stigmatised as a failure.
From here, the student starts to change their mind either to study more under pressure, or leave their interest in studies. Either of the ways are wrong because it’s not really the student’s choice — this is what their complicated situation have made them choose. In the coming future, the condition of the student would worsen, which might lead to some catastrophe, such as a suicide. We ought to talk about the problem and try to understand their views.
The other problems of this cause is the expectation of parents and society. We always want to make our children a doctor or an engineer. Since the very beginning of our children’s learning, we ask them to become like us, and become an engineer or a doctor as if they are the only professions in the world. We make certain professions a benchmark for a successful life. These professions are seen with prestige, pride and glory by society.
Rather, we should teach or train our children to become good human beings, help them in their learnings and address their shortcomings, enthusiasm, values and heuristics. Let the children decide what they want to choose for their career. Teachers in schools should motivate their students to choose any discipline according to their interest and will, without deciding under anyone’s pressure, because at the end, it is the student who has to study and perform.
The role of government can be remarkable to address this problem. The government can set up counselling centers in high schools and senior secondary schools because after matriculation and intermediate examinations, students often remain in a dilemma about choosing what to pursue in higher studies. This initiative will give the students the right direction to achieve their goals solely based on their interest and surely become the cause of happiness.
The other thing that governments can do is increase the numbers of colleges in all parts of India so that more and more number of students can get enrolled. This will increase the probability of students getting admission in the current session. The government should also look at creating new jobs, and publishing the result of examinations and delivering job letters on time.
This is lead to the making of a healthy and working system where everyone can be benefited. This will result in a decrease in our country’s student suicide rate. At last, one’s life comes above the expectation of society or parents because in this world, everybody is an independent actor who must decide their venture independently.
Here is a famous quote by Nietzsche, “He who has why to live can bear almost any how.” In life there will be many unfavorable circumstances to come, but they are to be faced than given up on.