Due to liberalization and the entry of the global market, the education sector has
become service-oriented in the hands of private players. This has resulted in an increased competition which takes a toll on the mental health of the students.
Stress is a serious problem that is bothering the present-day world. The World Health Organization defined mental health as the state of well being when one could cope with the stress and realize their potential in order to work fruitfully. Due to liberalization and the entry of the global market, the education sector has become service-oriented in the hands of private players. This has resulted in an increased competition which takes a toll on the mental health of the students.
Rationale Behind It
In recent years, there has been an increased number of instances of suicide and depression among students. The competition to secure a seat in a reputed educational institution and the decrease inadequate number of jobs has often been described as a possible cause of this. The pressure put upon the students by their families and educational institutes is another reason with causes physiological stress.
Discussion And Analysis
In our society, some professions like civil services, medicine and engineering are regarded to be status symbols and are widely respected. It is widely believed that these professions are associated with a better lifestyle and higher income. The majority of parents have a false notion that some jobs are associated with stability while other non-conventional jobs are not long-lasting.
Today getting admitted to an elite institute is considered to be one of the main proves of one’s worth. Also, there is a lack of awareness about the career options available before the students.
There is a historical background to the bias of our society towards certain professions. For example, engineering is a coveted profession in this country. There was a time when there was a shortage of educated professionals, and the government emphasized building a new nation with a scientific temper. During this time, professionals like engineers were looked up to as nation builders. The tradition of respecting engineering has still persisted.
Parents and family members pressurize the students to pursue the fields they think to be rewarding out of concern for the student’s welfare. As a result of the population outburst, we have a serious unemployment problem. So, the parents desire their children to study those subjects they feel would help them secure future. Parents often also try to fulfill their own unfulfilled wishes through their children.
As a result of this bias, students are often encouraged by their family members to take up certain professions from their childhood. The advice given by the family members plays a key role in shaping the decisions taken by the students.
The situation is similar in other fields also. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET was first held in 2013 for admission in the field of medicine. In 2016 under the orders issued by the Honorable Supreme Court of India, NEET became the only medical entrance exam in India. In 2020, the number has nearly doubled up to 1597435.
With the increase in the number of students, the standard of the exams is also increasing in order to screen out unworthy students. In order to select eligible candidates from a large number of aspirants, the questions become tougher with time. It is not possible to evaluate subjective answers by such a large number of students because of logistical problems. So, problem-based objective questions is given. In order to acquire the requisite skills to solve such problems. This becomes unfair to students who cannot afford such coaching. Students cannot display their conceptual knowledge or talent in such exams as they are more dependent on rote learning abilities.
Traditionally, schools prepare the students for their academic and professional lives and contribute to their all-round character development. But as the competition increased in various entrance exams and the standard of questions is becoming higher. The curriculum taught in schools has proved to be insufficient in aiding the students in developing problem-solving skills. In this situation, several exam-oriented specialized coaching centres emerged which try to impart specialized knowledge to the students.
The coaching centres have their own innovative teaching techniques. The coaching centres provide the students with study materials which consist of different types of problems which have appeared in past examinations. They try to ensure that the students get to solve a sufficient number of problems each time.
Parents are preferring to give more importance to coaching institutes than traditional schools. In order to focus more on the work done in the coaching institutes, students get enrolled in “dummy schools” which allow them to sit for their board exams without attending classes. This enables the students to focus singularly on the competitive exams. As the business of dummy schools is illegal there is no statistical data regarding how many students attend them.
According to educationists in traditional schools, students acquire social skills and learn to work with others. But in this set up the students miss out on important social skills which affect them in their later life.
Also, the competitive atmosphere of these coaching institutes also results in the students feeling stressed. The students often have to deal with the pressure of both board and competitive exams. The coaching institutes they study in do not provide much support for board exam preparation. Students who are not efficient in academics have trouble in coping with this. They are looked down upon by their peers and develop an inferiority complex.
The coaching centres for college entrance exams have sprung up in all corners of India. Parents believe that their children will have a better chance of succeeding if they attend these institutes. Often the high tuition fees of these institutes are not affordable for the economically lower middle class and lower-class students. They have to take loans and arrange the amount from other sources. But the coaching institutes do not generally do not have any refund or exit policy.
So, the parents pressurise students to carry on studying in these institutes. Students who cannot cope with the academic burden often develop a feeling of guilt and think they are letting their parents down.
Also, the atmosphere of these educational institutes is highly competitive. The top-performing students are given special attention. Average and below-average performing students are often ignored. As a result, these students tend to develop an inferiority complex. They have a persistent feeling of low self-worth. Also, their adrenaline level remains higher than normal. This also affects their academic work. They experience trauma and emotional breakdown that requires medical attention.
Conclusion
In light of the points highlighted above, it can be said that academic pressure is a serious problem affecting Indian students.
As with time the exam patterns are changing and the number of applicants is increasing, it is becoming tougher to secure a seat in a good college. As a result, to take an advantage of the situation specialized coaching institutes are being built. Some students who have problems in adjusting to these institutes are facing a multitude of problems. As a precautionary measure, it should be made compulsory for these institutes to have an in-house psychologist to help out the student.
Over the past months, the global coronavirus pandemic has changed lives dramatically. It has taken an emotional, financial or spiritual toll on most of us. Many of us have lost a loved one, friend or even a favourite public figure to this unforgiving virus. Students are hardly immune to this huge social strain. They were among those who suffered the worst disruptions on all fronts.
Amidst this pandemic, the student fraternity is filled with anxieties over the 24-day-long offline examinations. Concerns over health and safety are natural given that almost half a million candidates comprising three different levels are set to appear for these exams.
With the second and third wave hitting multiple states and the festive season round the corner, soaring numbers are inevitable. It is questionable if our health infrastructure would be able to accommodate more cases if they occur as a result of these lengthy exams. Enforcing a risk of infection—and the consequent financial burden—on students who may not come from privileged families would also be unjustified.
Students understand that they have to move on and learn to live with the virus.
