The rising number of suicides among students preparing to attend prestigious schools is a collective national disgrace
Published Date – Fri 06/23/23 12:30pm
Exam stress and its devastating impact on young people is an issue that has received little attention. The rising number of suicides by students and students preparing to attend prestigious institutions is a collective national disgrace. An entire ecosystem that values success and closes the door to other career paths is to blame for this deplorable state of affairs. If you want to understand the magnitude of the stress problem among Indian students, you need to look at the data on IIT-JEE, arguably one of the most difficult entrance exams in the world. Only 0.04% of candidates who take the test are admitted. While the media only highlights the success stories of those who entered these elite institutions, the struggles and pains of thousands of aspirants remain untold and unaddressed. This year, nearly 1.1 million students competed for 16,000 places in undergraduate programs at 23 IITs across the country. Unless the basket of opportunities is expanded by creating more such institutions, anxiety and stress issues will continue to undermine the mental health of young students. This disturbing phenomenon is not limited to engineering and medical education. The success rate for the unionized Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, designed to recruit civil servants and other central government jobs, hovers around 0.5%.
A shortage of quality higher education places means parents are still under pressure to enroll their children in tutoring, even if they can see the toll it is taking on the school year. The mismatch between rising aspirations and dwindling opportunities creates enormous stress for young people—a pressure cooker situation. This must be viewed as a public health crisis requiring urgent attention. Parents also have a responsibility to discuss their children’s career options and abilities openly and not push them into a corner. In addition to providing a good education, they should also help prepare them for life’s challenges, including setbacks in the professional and personal spheres. Normally, the tutoring center in Kota, the largest education hub in Rajasthan state, has a 14-hour workday and even tests on Sundays. While there are guidelines for providing psychological and other assistance to students, and regulation of private institutions, there are more violations of those guidelines than there are in practice. The relentless pressure to complete a demanding curriculum, the shame and guilt over human need to rest, the fierce competition and the fear of failure – not to mention the loneliness of being far from home – take a toll on the lives of many young people. Last year, 22 students committed suicide, according to official figures. Since 2011, some 121 people have committed suicide.
