mid-day editorial: Children, you are more than your percentage

The results season has begun. On Sunday, news poured in of a 17-year-old student allegedly committing suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence while his family was away

The results season has begun. On Sunday, news poured in of a 17-year-old student allegedly committing suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence while his family was away, because he failed in one of the subjects in his class 12 CBSE exams. He took the step following a bout of depression brought on by the exam results.

When it comes to students harbouring suicidal thoughts after seeing their exam results, we often see a complete shut down on the part of the family, or a refusal to acknowledge the problem. When red flags go up, it is essential for families to heed those warning signs and believe counselors to act on those.

As for the education boards, they must ensure their counselors are well-trained professionals who are able to address the students confidently and with a measure of calm. Desperate cases call for quick responses, but also accurate ones. It is also essential to have completely qualified professionals manning the helplines, so that students are correctly guided and reassured.

Several times, we have seen statements that should set the alarm bells ringing being brushed away in a flippant manner or seen through a prism of that since it is the young talking, there is no need to take them seriously. We need to amend this attitude. History has shown us that a bout of depression, extreme disappointment or even a slight setback can have tragic repercussions in the competitive cauldron that is our academic system.

Students, too, should not be so emotionally brittle and go to extremes over an academic disappointment. While a career is important, it is life overall that needs to be cherished. Parents should be reinforcing the message that life does not begin and should not certainly end with a number or a percentage.

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