– He hanged himself to death in his own house, in his own room, fearing that he would not be able to pass the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). He was 17 years of age. (A case in Bokaro)

– He drank insecticide 2 days prior the results, fearing he might fail in his board exams. When in ICU, he begged his father to save him, but all in vain. (Case In Madurai)

– She checked her results on the internet and soon found out about her poor performance in the board exams. Depressed, she committed suicide by setting herself on fire. (A case in Titola)

– Scared of flunking in the board exams, 2 students committed suicide in Chennai. They were 18 and 17.

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The stories of kids committing suicides are all across the web, the newspapers and perhaps every media source possible. With the board results released, when half the population is celebrating their success, there are families who lose everything, their joy, their life and their reason to live. Why do kids force themselves into suicide? This is a topic that has been discussed at least a million times in newspapers and also in TV channels.

You will see child psychologists giving their marathon speeches on how parents should behave with their children, How school teachers need to nurture the kids, etc. But, do these speeches really help a child understand the preciousness of his life before he hangs himself or sets herself on fire? No.

Is there a problem in our upbringing, in the way a teacher prepares the students, the Education system or the way our society looks at failures? Well, every single aspect is to be blamed for the death of a student.

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According to me, not just education but achieving good grades in the particular field is also very important to compete. For kids, Education has become a burden today rather than being a source of knowledge. A child preparing for his board exams has no time to for himself. His day starts from 5 in the morning for tutorials from where he goes to School, attends lectures and practical, comes back home for lunch, goes back to tuition, comes back home at 5 in the evening, goes back for Entrance examination tutorials and comes back home at 8, Only later to be forced by the parents to go and study for his Boards.

This schedule itself highlights the fact how Students get into depression due to their poor performance and choose to commit suicide rather than simply expressing their problems with their parents or teachers in school. “Ma’m, I am Not able to Cope up with the pressure.”

According to a survey, West Bengal, Kerela & Tamil Nadu has got the highest suicide rate of students, all aged between 12-19 years. In a study performed between 1987 and 2007, the suicide due to education pressure is increasing by 7% every year. On an average, the number of male students committing suicide is more than females.

Image Source: hindustantimes.com

The Solution

Encourage children towards education, Not Grades.

Tell them they have a second chance and can shape their future the way they like it by working hard again.

Show your concern towards them. Show your support, even if they get fewer marks in preliminary exams.

Teach them the value of life and how precious they are to you. It is your love and support that will help your child stay strong and become successful individuals in the future.

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