Carefree and fun, childhood is when we enjoy life to the fullest, unaware of the hardships and trials awaiting in the future. Getting older often brings about simultaneous responsibilities, starting with the pressure of acquiring high percentages in board examinations.

Adding a lot of pressure to their fragile minds are the unreasonably high expectations of parents and relatives from the children. The intense burden of keeping their family’s respect intact and the constant pressure to excel heavily impacts the students’ mental well-being.

Though nerve-racking, the parental pressure often comes from a good place of wanting their child to have a bright and secure future. But, of course, it wouldn’t have been so extreme if the educational institutions didn’t have such ridiculously high cut-off rates for admissions.

Admission and Cut Off Rates

Securing a seat in the top educational institutions is something to compete for. But is it still a healthy competition if it’s driving students towards depression and even suicide? Getting into their desired college/university may be beneficial for the students’ future; however, it certainly isn’t worth dying for!

Sadly, in India, talking about our mental health is still taboo and considered a stunt for attention. Mental illness is often wrongly equated to going mad, so parents try to dodge such topics when brought upfront. Due to this huge communication gap, the students don’t discuss aloud their academic pressures, thereby adding to their already degrading mental health.

Such is the trauma of merely not securing the cut-off marks that young students start questioning their entire existence because of it. With so much to achieve and experience, how sad is it that students drown in self-doubt over percentages?

What do statistics say? 

As per reports, India is losing 28 young lives every day due to the absurdly high educational standards killing off their dreams. The remaining rest aren’t in any better position either, suffering from mental disorders of anxiety, inferiority complex, depression, and self-harm from constantly thriving for excellence.

Considering the depressive plight of the students, it is high time the education system makes some accommodative changes, especially in the admission process. The students have been working on bettering themselves for quite a while, but clearly, that isn’t enough. The education system needs to be less rigid and more inclusive to help them explore and achieve their best capabilities.

Basing the capabilities of the budding youth solely on their ability to meet the high cut-off rates is illogical. It is a grave insult to their knowledge and talent, and the students deserve better than that. Every student deserves a quality education, yet most aren’t able to access that even after securing high percentages. All thanks to immensely high cut-off rates, which are, at some colleges, even 100%. Unbelievable, to say the least!

Solutions

There isn’t a spectrum of doubt that the education system needs some ground-breaking changes. In the meantime, here are some suggestions that parents and students can collectively opt for:

• Parents need to have open and fruitful career-related discussions with their children from the time they become capable of making decisions. Parents must respect and encourage their children’s aspirations and stop burdening their children with their unfulfilled dreams.
• If the children are confused between multiple career options, seeking professional guidance will help clear their doubts and focus on a single career path.
• Time-to-time assessment of their child’s progress is necessary to help make the correct decisions to fulfil their dreams.
• They should Hear out and discuss the children’s mental issues to provide them with proper care and support.

Our students are our country’s future. They are not mere mediums on the back of whose achievements the country will ride on. Students are young people with volatile emotions, and they should be treated with care and empathy. Pressurising them for excellence by setting up insanely high cut-off rates will only yield opposite results. Instead, giving them the space to develop and explore their capabilities will ensure a brighter future, both for them and the nation.