Many people say knowledge is more important than marks, then why judge a student by the marks he scores? We all know students who study hard but don’t get the marks they deserve. It’s okay. But the real question is whether the students are free from stress? No, especially with the lockdown making the situation worse, students are stressed.
But the real question is that with the increasing cases of Covid-19, there is news doing rounds that schools will open soon. Imagine a child getting Covid-19 and losing one academic year. We live in a country where to get into a medical college, you have to have good marks in NEET. But, I have seen many children of the rich who barely pass NEET and still study in top colleges.
When I was in 10th, my classmate who used to bunk around and simply party all the time got the highest marks; and she would tell me, “See, I didn’t even study like you, and yet, I am the topper”. Then some people call you just to ask your marks. If you have a cousin in the same class, then you are done for; the comparison, the jealously is all so flimsy. Getting 95 % doesn’t make your child Isaac Newton.
If all toppers were Newton, then trust me India would have been ruling the world. I have many friends who taunt me and say, “you studied so hard, you were good in seminars, one of the top orators of the school, topper of the class and know it all but still did not top boards”. To them, my answer is, a piece of paper can’t define who I am. Marks don’t define you.
Michael Faraday didn’t even complete matriculate but had a passion for knowledge and today, he is a great person. But the saddest part is that these very marks lead to depression, stress, suicidal thoughts, etc. And those who can’t bear it die by suicide. I think mental health is important because untreated mental stress leads to suicide. Mental health is important and the government should initiate means for students to deal with it, head-on, it in every educational institution.
More stressed are the children who come from the middle class and poor families, as since childhood, all they hear is their parents asking them to study well and get good marks. It’s difficult for them to pay the high price of college fees. Whenever results come out, there will be a comparison as to who got the highest marks among cousins. There’s always pressure to score more than said elder cousin next time.
I know many who are talented, worked hard, and did not get good marks and their dreams got shattered. Please normalize not getting good marks. Students who die by suicide are not to be blamed, imagine you work day and night only to get cut off marks for you to achieve your dream. They cancel their social media consumption, stay away from distractions, and yet don’t get cut off marks.
There is only one option left: to choose the career that your family can afford to pay the fees. This lockdown has witnessed a lot many student suicides. The reason may be silly to us but what can a child do when he doesn’t get access to education when its the only way he can escape poverty? Every hour, one student commits suicide in India. India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with most being people age 18 – 29.
Our society compares the marks of the students, some relatives who don’t even know you will text you to know marks. The government sure has to take a series of steps to curb it, but here’s what we can do from our end
- Every child is unique. Stop comparing children and always support them if they seem anxious, depressed, or at unrest with you. Ask them if they won’t help.
- One of the main reasons for suicide is poverty. Because of the low marks, they believe that they can’t achieve their goals. There should a decrease in fees of all educational institutions which is applicable for one community but all. Our educational institutions have to be more inclusive and accommodative.
We all may come across this situation in life. Board exams are one of the difficult things because everyone’s eyes are always on your marks. For all those who didn’t get good marks, work hard and remember one thing God has his plan for each of us so just trust him. Getting suicidal thoughts, depression, pressure, pain during exams is common but we have to be brave in their face and try to persevere and be virtuous. Stay focused.
To all those who failed, a forest burnt in forest fire rebuilds itself, why can’t you? Let’s try and put a stop to this suicide chain. We need to pay attention to mental health. #MentalHealthForStudents #TowardsZeroStudent-SuicideRate