As the exam season ramps up, deserted cafeterias are a common sight as libraries are flooded with students. While some students can be spotted studying in groups, others restrict themselves to the corners. Anxiety and stress become a common phenomenon as competition is fierce and the race to the top tough. The future of the child is not determined by his interests but by the number of marks scored and ranks secured. Everyone wants nothing but the best and aspires to outperform others in order to reserve their place in the top notch colleges.
This begs a sensitive question: Is there too much pressure on kids to outperform others?
Grueling study schedules, stiff competition, frequent testing, extreme pressure and round the clock stress are taking a deadly toll on students. It cannot be denied that students in India are more stressed than ever. Academic stress has become one of the major reasons for the increasing stress among the youth as both children and parents find no solace in the nation that has always been academic driven. The Indian Education System priorities academics above everything else and marks are a measure of one’s abilities. In such a scenario, pressure is bound to mount.
There is no denying the fact that exams are a period of intense focus, extreme pressure and many sleepless nights. With that, the fight for limited seats adds to the already tense situation. Both students and parents are at times unable to cope with the demands of the dynamic education system and surrender to the pressure. We live in a highly competitive world and children do worry about their future prospects and thus pressurize themselves to do better. With too much emphasis on better grades, everyone forgets the fun element in learning. Excessive pressure may lead to deterioration in performance of the child even though he might as well be naturally good at it.
Exam performance plays a crucial and central role in the lives of students and parents. While the success of the student is taken with pride and shared with one and all, poor performance is rarely discussed and becomes a matter of shame. This creates an atmosphere of intense psychological pressure on the minds of students. Due to this students forget to enjoy the little pleasures of life and get lost in the race to outperform others.
The admission process, on the other hand, is becoming tougher with each passing day, making it difficult to enter. This has caused students to put in more time, efforts, money and other resources to work, thereby increasing the overall pressure. Teachers, schools, peers, all who have excelled seem to send a strong message that results are all that matter and the only thing that is valued is academic prowess. Too many expectations have created a fear in the mind of the child. They are scared that they would let other people down and this feeling is enough to make them emotionally and physically sick. As a result, many suffer from depression and are punctuated by suicidal thoughts.
It is sad that today we are living in a world where grades have become more important than the understanding of concepts and learning has become a task. The need of the hour, thus, lies in reducing this pressure by including extracurricular activities along with sports. Equal importance should be given to both academics and other activities and students should enjoy a freedom of choice. Moreover, schools and colleges in India need to prioritise mental health and come up with sufficient counselling centres where students can be assisted at the onset of emotional and mental problems and can be saved from spiralling into depression.
Together we all need to understand that students fail not because they are pushed to do better but because they are never told that even if they fail, there is another chance to rise and try again.
Having said that, it should also be noted that like every coin has two sides, similarly, academic pressure has both negative as well as positive aspect to it. A certain amount of pressure can be helpful and can actually lead students to accomplish their goals and be successful. It can increase the productivity of the student, push them to their fullest potential and result in better grades. What is required is a mind that sees every challenge and every difficulty as a chance to improve oneself. The day one starts seeing every obstacle as an opportunity to grow and prove one’s prowess, the battle is half won.
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