How many more Students will be killed by parents and teachers?
(this article is more focused on the life of students in the Indian subcontinent)
Each year the number of students killing themselves is increasing at a very high rate.
Some think they wouldn’t meet the expectation of their parents and teachers, some think their classmates and friends will look at them as failures and few think if they can’t get in to the top 10 colleges then they will never live a happy life.
The levels of stress/anxiety are increasing in students because of Classes and Exams, Jobs and Money, Career prospects, for being away from home in some countries fulfilling the ambitions/dreams of their family. I was surprised to hear that a girl who scored 96% marks overall (all A+) committed suicide because parents and teachers expected her to be no.1 at national level but she was second. It’s like achieving a silver medal in Olympics and killing yourself because you are the second best in the world!!!
“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
I think perfectionism is an illness.
Is it possible for humans to be perfect? The parents and teachers who expect too much and put so much pressure on students/children, are they perfect and the best in what they do? Most of them are NOT. Most of the parents don’t practice the psychology of success themselves, most of the teachers have no clue about what it takes to become successful and fulfilled BUT they expect every student to be at the top of the list!! How can you expect children to achieve something when you haven’t taught them how to get it?
Unconditional love of parents has now changed. Most of the parents love and praise their wards only when they score top ranks or win prizes in competitions.
There is no room for Fun, hobbies, sports… Kids become slaves of performance!!
Do they really understand that mental pressure can be more painful than physical abuse and can lead to many bigger problems like self-harm, depression, suicide etc.
“Theories and goals of education don’t matter a whit if you don’t consider your students to be human beings.”
– Lou Ann Walker“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill
No one has been able to prove that Happiness and Peace of mind is dependent on how much money or luxury you possess. Many successful people & billionaires have become what they are without scoring best marks at school or college. In fact many billionaires don’t even have a degree!!
At least 125 people aged 29 years or below are committing suicide every day and 51 per cent of the total suicide victims are graduates, college students or younger. (Singapore Press Holdings / asia one)
According to a 2007 study in Medical News Today, youth suicide rates have dramatically increased. An estimated 18 million students have mental health issues on college campuses. Research also shows a 50 percent increase in depression, causing more than twice the amount of students to take psychiatric medication.
Everyone wants to be socially accepted BUT the society we live in, these days, is all about showing off, full of competition, going mad for scoring better than others…. Mental health problems are and will continue to increase.
Out of every three cases of suicide reported every 15 minutes in India, one is committed by a youth in the age group of 15 to 29 (rediff.com)
In the developed countries over 70 percent of students don’t consider talking to a counsellor to help them deal with stress or other emotional issues. In developing nations most of the schools and colleges don’t even have a counsellor!!
The Centre for disease control reported that Suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind accidents and homicide, of people aged 15 to 24 in the USA.
Children’s panic attacks grow as exams increase.
(telegraph.co.uk)
HELP IS AVAILABLE – student help lines, charitable organisations (Samaritans, suicide.org etc.), local Health centers, books written by people who turned around their lives and became very successful and counsellors at schools & colleges.
Click here to read some ways to manage stress and to know more about mental health.
