In the Madurai district, on May 5, a boy from class XII of Thirumangalam he died by self-immolation on the first day of the board exams, reportedly due to fear of his performance. On May 19, another boy from class XII from Thirumangalam and a girl from class XI from Vandiur he ended lives allegedly due to poor performance in board exams. Experts said it’s often not just fear and stress, but a variety of factors that are also involved in student suicide. “Students are going through a lot of stress throughout the academic year. When their anxiety builds up with no way out, it starts to explode, especially around exam time, often leading them to self-harm and attempt suicide. One of the main reasons is the unrealistic expectation of parents and the pressure exerted by educational institutions to get a high score,” said Dr. C Ramasubramanian, founder of the MS Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation.
Stress among students is high, especially this year, as they are taking offline board exams again after an extended period of online classes and exams, experts say. “The pandemic has massively changed the way students socialize. Students have been attracted to the use of mobile phones, which has caused conflicts in homes. All of these play a crucial role in changing children’s behavior. Having more moral instruction classes and physical education classes in schools can be a relieving experience for children and help them learn discipline,” he said. B Pandiarajanmember of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Madurai District.
K Sharadha, a career counsellor, noted that understanding more about the various career options could help let go of expectations and bring relief to children. “Some parents still think that engineering or medicine are the only ways to help their children achieve in life,” he added.
Dr. Ramasubramanian further emphasized the importance of making teachers and parents aware of children’s mental health. ‘Happy Schooling’ is an initiative of the Madurai Corporation, HCL Foundation and MS Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation to provide stress management and goal management for students and teachers in various corporate schools in the city of Madurai. “Since the launch of the initiative, there have been good results as students also started to open up more. Every school must have a trained mental health counselor. Mental health training should be done on an ongoing basis for parents and teachers. Even after that, if students prefer to talk to a third person, help lines are available,” he added.
Any student can contact the ‘Speak 2 Us’ helpline on 9375493754 if they have any concerns about their mental well-being.
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