Unfortunate Deepali Despande.
On 8th of this month a girl hanged herself in her house. She was twenty two years old. She finished herself for the sake of college examination. Local newspapers printed it on front page. According to newspaper reports she hanged herself to get rid of the second year engineering examination. She was failed earlier in the first year also.
Some questions came up in my mind:
For me the answer is our education system and parents. Our education system has became like a assembly line where students are churned out like cars. They are xerox copies or pamphlets. Education system became manufacturing units with students as products. The curriculum and syllabus is designed to solve lengthy question papers. Whoever gets top marks in examination is the most 'clever' student in the class. Other students are stupid little creatures who can't cope up with expectations. Obviously comparisons made, below average or average or above average students are victims first, they would tortured or harassed. I call them lower class students who are not as smart as upper class students. They are treated as insects by teachers and fellow students.
In school or college we always discuss who is best in the class but never discuss what is best in me. That is the basic problem. Our system has a striking resemblance with the cast system in India. Basically the marks system is in core of this problem. Taking top marks is only criteria for judging one's credibility.
Second problem is concerned with the choice of career. We are such blind folded that we never think for a second that doing a degree course is not a career. Career means to do the things where you are inclined to. But when it comes to choose a career we prefer engineering over arts. In schools also we are told about engineering stream rather than taking 'mechanic' as career. I have never heard that a student with 93% in S.S.C. wants to pursue career as mechanic or a scientist. Engineering has become status symbol for everybody.
The other problem comes from our home. Parents expect if my child is good in school examination then he/she will go for science stream. After 10th class they will start discussing about which is best engineering or medical college in India. They would alter their job or business according to their children. They will transfer their job to an education-hub city. If the child is not performing well in the class then he/she will be compared with peers. Most of the students do not fear about failure in the class but they fear about comparisons made by parents. This comparison becomes routine affair. They loose their confidence. They got depressed. In this depression they prefer death over life.
According to one newspaper in last four or five months in Maharashtra over hundred students committed suicide. The reasons were failure in class, burden of syllabus, tough competition, mammoth expectations from parents. One student has curious reason for suicide, she wanted to continue with her dance classes but father said first concentrate on studies and then go for hobby. I didn't understood why dance classes were inferior to studies. If she is comfortable with dance then why we pressurise for studies.
Our definition of study means taking top marks in the class and top marks means success and a fantastic post in Multinational Company and money is God....
If this continues then God help India!!!!
Some questions came up in my mind:
1) Why do students hang themselves?
2) Is suicide the only way to run away from life?
3) Who is responsible for this?
4) Either parents or teachers or education system?
For me the answer is our education system and parents. Our education system has became like a assembly line where students are churned out like cars. They are xerox copies or pamphlets. Education system became manufacturing units with students as products. The curriculum and syllabus is designed to solve lengthy question papers. Whoever gets top marks in examination is the most 'clever' student in the class. Other students are stupid little creatures who can't cope up with expectations. Obviously comparisons made, below average or average or above average students are victims first, they would tortured or harassed. I call them lower class students who are not as smart as upper class students. They are treated as insects by teachers and fellow students.
In school or college we always discuss who is best in the class but never discuss what is best in me. That is the basic problem. Our system has a striking resemblance with the cast system in India. Basically the marks system is in core of this problem. Taking top marks is only criteria for judging one's credibility.
Second problem is concerned with the choice of career. We are such blind folded that we never think for a second that doing a degree course is not a career. Career means to do the things where you are inclined to. But when it comes to choose a career we prefer engineering over arts. In schools also we are told about engineering stream rather than taking 'mechanic' as career. I have never heard that a student with 93% in S.S.C. wants to pursue career as mechanic or a scientist. Engineering has become status symbol for everybody.
The other problem comes from our home. Parents expect if my child is good in school examination then he/she will go for science stream. After 10th class they will start discussing about which is best engineering or medical college in India. They would alter their job or business according to their children. They will transfer their job to an education-hub city. If the child is not performing well in the class then he/she will be compared with peers. Most of the students do not fear about failure in the class but they fear about comparisons made by parents. This comparison becomes routine affair. They loose their confidence. They got depressed. In this depression they prefer death over life.
According to one newspaper in last four or five months in Maharashtra over hundred students committed suicide. The reasons were failure in class, burden of syllabus, tough competition, mammoth expectations from parents. One student has curious reason for suicide, she wanted to continue with her dance classes but father said first concentrate on studies and then go for hobby. I didn't understood why dance classes were inferior to studies. If she is comfortable with dance then why we pressurise for studies.
Our definition of study means taking top marks in the class and top marks means success and a fantastic post in Multinational Company and money is God....
If this continues then God help India!!!!
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