Examinations – A consistent reason for student suicides since 2000.
– by Meghana Raveendra, founder of moringa
As per the National Crime Records Bureau, ‘Exam failure accounts for 2% of the total number of student suicides in India’. This category was specifically included by Ministry of Human Resource Development as more and more cases came forward, where the cause could be ascertained as exam failure. We have to understand these are just the number of recorded cases. The number of unrecorded cases, and cases whose causes are undetermined do not feature in this percentage and thus, chances of it being higher cannot be ruled out.
I studied in a private school as a child in the city of Pune, Maharashtra (India). This was between the year 1991-2001. Going to school for me was a lot of effort. I hardly remember what I learnt in school. The 1990’s was a time when there was robust competition to score high marks. It was driven by a demand for people to have skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We were always pushed to score more than 85%, but I would only stay within 50-60% range. I had no liking for math and science. And back then, it was really hard for me to explain to anyone why I do not like them. I fared between 60-65% during both my 10th and 12th board examinations, which was considered as average. Great universities for STEM would have a cut off anywhere between 80-90%. This was the only thing that made me happy because I wouldn’t have to try to get admissions in those universities. But that was not the case with many children who had dreams to get admissions in STEM and got disappointed either because they did not have the required marks or they would secure admission in so called mediocre colleges. Parental and societal pressure created a bubble around them, which was difficult to burst.
Fast forward to 2020 – almost three decades since I began school. What has changed with respect to examinations is that the number of examination boards has increased, more multiple choice questions are being used, some schools give grades instead of marks, schools and colleges have become more generous with marks/grades, at the same time however, universities have increased their cut-offs. Though there are more choices to decide a career path, opportunities to secure degrees outside India, and the number of universities have increased, what is alarming is that the percentage of student suicides because of exam failures still remains at 2% – a recorded number. This is because our system of education has not fundamentally changed. It continues to be based on fear and fierce competition. The constant fear of failure looms over students, echoed and amplified by the anxiety of their parents and the constant judgment of their communities.
Last week we saw the release of several Board examination results. Though there has been celebration across for high pass percentage, what is being ignored is the worry and fear gripping parents and students for missing out on good universities due to high cut offs and securing less marks. An added challenge has been Covid-19 that has brought uncertainties related to travel and securing Visas for admissions in universities outside India. This has also caused an increase in anxiety.
On an average, we see one suicide case a day being reported by media since various results have been announced in the last few months. But there is hardly any concrete recording of these cases available to understand the percentage of children / youth who have taken their lives because of failure in examinations. It is easy to blame such deaths on mental health disorders. What needs to be understood is the root cause for increase in anxiety, fear and shame that surrounds parents and students. It is unfair and unjust to always expect a student to develop coping mechanisms, while the system takes no effort to change itself.
As student suicides continue, there is a strong need to reassess the importance of examinations. What kind of assessments do we need in schools? How and based on what are children assessed? Nearly three decades later, do we still need the same kind of competition created by universities that categorizes students into boxes of good, average and failures?
As I think about these questions, I wonder for how many more decades this 2% will continue to be consistent before something will significantly change.