Debate lingers on…Does academic or parental pressure lead to teen suicides?
Teenage suicides hardly make news anymore. Sometimes they occupy a two column space on the front page of the newspaper on other occasions are found in the inner pages. But the loss and agony to the teen’s family can never be fathomed. 16-year-old Aditya Singh of Delhi Public School, Bhopal was found dead on Tuesday morning. He had allegedly failed in mathematics and chemistry.
While institutional heads feel that the end to such incidents seem nowhere close by unless the pressurization stops, parents agree that “brand name or a passing out from a reputed school” is must for a thumping career. WTN digs out more
Sumegha Shrivastava is the mother of a two girls. Her elder daughter Pavni is a student of Class 9 in a reputed CBSE school and struggles with her books while her younger daughter Megha scores the top ranks in the same school. However, Pavni’s parents make sure she attends her guitar class (Pavni loves to play music) regularly and plays with her friends for at least an hour. Pavni also attends tuition classes after school and has recently enrolled for Class 10th coaching.
Etching her heart out Sumegha says, “I tell Pavni that exams are not the end of the world. Life is more than merely scoring in exams. We never compare Pavni with her sister or her friends and appreciate her little accomplishments.” When asked if they ever approached a counselor or ever thought of shifting her to a state board, Sumegha says, “Her father and I take turns teaching her. And as far as the counselor is concerned I don’t mind taking her to them.”
Reacting to the above statement principal of People’s Public School, Bhanpur, Manpreet Roy strongly says academic performance pressure must stop. She explains, “The CBSE initially allowed two supplementary, but now only one is allowed. The rules are changing and no doubt things are tough for students. On the other hand parents make it pretty evident that they are slogging to pay the huge fee.”
She adds that such pressure crushes the personality of the child which is of little help when they grow up as adults. She states, “Parents must realise the capacity of their child. Not every child can cope with academic pressure and may be good at other things. But it is sad that parents are simply not ready to enroll their child in state board institutions.”
Jagmeet Ahuja, a student of Class 9 handles studies well. Revealing her thoughts she says, “There is no pressure from my parents, but I know I have to score well or I will be rebuked. Even my parents and relatives will talk about me they way they talk about other weak students.”
Confirming the above thought process, career counselor with Oriental Group Niraj Ghai says, “It is sad that these things are happening even after decades. The child does not go by what is being said. Rather he/she goes by the parents’ action. Children observe them. When in teens they also undergo hormonal changes – which adds to their problems at times.”
Secondly, she adds, “Our society does not respect labour. If a student opts for vocational course, it is not appreciated. So, the parental pressure continues and the child continues to suffer. It is not that there are no suicides reports among children of state board. But if an average CBSE student is shifted to state board, the pressurization level will surely decrease.”
-Windowtonews
