As students prepare to write their final examinations as well as Board exams, they experience an environment of stress and tension.
In the last month alone, several teen deaths have been reported in Karnataka, with a majority attributed to suspected suicides. This is not an uncommon scene, as stress and pressure lead students to take the extreme step, especially around the start of the year when they have to begin preparing for board examinations. “It’s definitely a cycle, wherein, it's common to see children stressed as soon as they enter high school. The pressure put on them is immense and needs to be addressed,” UNICEF Education Specialist Sheshagiri K M Rao told The New Indian Express.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Dr Bhavit Bansal, working as part of NIMHAN’s Child and Psychiatry Department, said that the rising culture of media consumption itself has led to students being more tense than they otherwise would be. This, combined with the constant need to study, increases the likelihood that a child will be more stressed. “The expectations of students have also been increased overall, as students need to achieve more to be able to get into good institutions. Especially with the costs increasing, the need to be able to score better for merit-based scholarships is high as well,” one parent told TNIE.
However, while there are several contributing factors, specialist Rao said that the main problem was a fundamental issue with the education system. “We’re only beginning to understand what changes adolescent children are going through, and its impact on both parents and schools who sell these high dreams, wherein, students are pressured from the minute they enter high school. Examinations are often also the reason why children drop out, with little to no documentation on where they end up,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also said that the rise of coaching centres often leads to more stress on the part of students. “There is an almost obsessive nature when it comes to students, with pressure on getting into good institutions. Meanwhile, coaching centres make a business out of training the students, with conditions for students being incredibly stressful,” he said. He cited examples of students being made to wake up at 5 am or sleep in cramped quarters while spending most of the day studying for competitive examinations.
