A disturbing trend

This article in The Hindu mentions that stressed students, before and after the Plus 2 exams, have kept the distress helpline busy. Most of the callers say that they considered committing suicide. The most disturbing fact about this is that some of these suicide-comtemplating students have scored as high as 88% !

What sort of society are we turning into where anything less than 90% is considered too "low" ? Since when did 95% marks become de rigueur ? Why is it unacceptable for a student to score less than 90% ?

Some parents do their bit by constantly pushing their wards to score high grades, telling them that if they score poor grades, their entire future will go down the drain. And since "high grades" are defined by grades in the higher nineties, is it any surprise that only a select few get there, whereas the less-fortunate are left to jam the distress lines and vent their thoughts about taking their own lives ?

Time and again, the follies of depending on the results of just one exam to determine the fate of a student has been highlighted in commission after commission, survey after survey. But do the authorities in question have any intention of implementing the recommendations of the survey ?

While congratulating those who top-scored in the exams, we would do well to keep in mind that some of the low-scorers "may be...potentially superior to those who just memorise and do well in examinations, without comprehending very much."( Yashpal Committee Report 1993).

Let this thought provide succour to the minds of those who are complating such dramatic actions such as taking their own lives.

May this also serve as a pointer to those parents who compare the performance of their wards with others and spur children towards competition.