Exams have always been a roller coaster ride for students all over and more for the ones appearing for the 10th and 12th, as that is what decides the future. Every year lakhs of students appear for the 10th and 12th exams and a couple of months later, when we hear the results, we are proud and raise our collars when girls score higher than boys and when our kids come out with “flying colours”. Well, this is only one side of the coin and like every coin, this also has its own shade of misery! It is something which gets missed out when we are out there celebrating or rejoicing our kids’ hard work. It is something which creates a void in our lives and this void is irreplaceable; this shade of misery is “teenage suicide”!
The news bulletins would show us the number of students who have scored the top 3 ranks but what we do not see are those bulletins which show the number of students who have ended their lives just because they could not score enough to join college and there have been reports of teens ending their lives before they get to see their results; the reason being they get anxious – what if they do not score the required marks for them to make their dreams come true! The reasons narrow down to certain pointers – families setting standards, competition between peers and the anticipation of one’s future which in turn raises the question of coping skills. Is it because of the fear of facing parents who had set high expectations on their kids or is the fear of what the society will brand their kids if they do not score the required marks that gets them to such ideas?
The results and the Indian society have always been on a tug since one could recollect and this society tends to overlook on the notion of setting high standards for our kids that they have been enduring and amidst this tug of war, parents tend to miss out the said reality that they have been burdening their kids with the same notion our society has been doing!!! Well, the first step in breaking this chain is to change the perception of exams as such and change the perception of boards and when this happens, all others will follow suit; in due course, we will not lose another kid to the “demon of exam stress”!
After all, life isn’t a race; it is meant to be lives, loved and enjoyed… After all, learning comes from home and when the home is heaven, our kids will find their ways out of the maze, no matter what!!! So, parents, it is time to smile more and laugh more with your kids because exams are meant to be seen as just another test and our kids can surely crack ‘em up!
Courtesy : Matangi Krishnan @QuadDays