Deadly cost of hyper-competitive education
ISN’T it absurd that we can't think of anything beyond a set of technical solutions — say, the installation of 'suicide proofing' fans in hostel rooms, or nets in balconies and lobbies — to the recurring problem of suicides or the abrupt end of the life-journey of broken/shattered/ disillusioned young students in Kota, which is a site of the demonic coaching industry?
Well, in recent times, the business of the Kota coaching industry has somewhat declined because of the 'bad' name it got as newspapers began to report regularly about the pathetic mental health of young aspirants. In fact, the number of students in Kota is falling and, as a report reveals, the annual revenue of this business enterprise has been reduced to Rs 3,500 crore from
Rs 7,000 crore.
However, nothing seems to have changed as far as the agony of young minds is concerned. In this year only, seven students have ended their lives by suicide and sought to convey the message that they could not bear the pressure and fulfil the parental aspirations for 'good' careers/lucrative salary packages.
It is sad that we are not yet ready to think of a meaningful solution to this sort of suicide beyond the parameters of the typical 'law and order' discourse or even a set of routine 'counselling sessions'.
In fact, it is high time some of us began to raise certain critical issues we seldom talk about. In this context, as a teacher and concerned citizen, let me make four observations.
First, what has severely damaged the intellectual/ psychic growth of our children is the faulty pattern of education that has attached almost one-sided importance to one's performance in standardised tests, like the JEE, NEET and CUET. It has systematically devalued what really matters for the intellectual, aesthetic and moral development of the child.
And, I have no hesitation in saying that these standardised tests destroy the joy of learning and kill the ecstasy of a creatively nuanced critical pedagogy.
Instead of arousing the learner's curiosity or activating his/her ability to think, interpret, contemplate and go deeper into the exciting domain of sciences and humanities, these problematic MCQ-centric tests transform him/her into a 'war strategist', continually mastering the 'technique' of identifying the 'one and only one correct answer' — instantly and mechanically.
Second, in addition to the obsession with standardised tests, we are witnessing another disturbing phenomenon — the growth of 'dummy schools'. As these schools have a setting with coaching centres, young students need not attend regular classes and take part in the dynamics of school culture. Instead, they do what coaching centres dictate — say, the act of mastering the 'success manuals' or all sorts of strategies for cracking such tests as the JEE and NEET.
Be it physics or mathematics, biology or chemistry, everything is reduced to an MCQ question. No wonder, the formative years of these youngsters are spent in an environment that promotes endless drilling, mental fatigue and hyper-competitiveness and the chronic fear of failure.
It destroys the joy of learning, or the art exploring the domains of science, culture and aesthetics holistically, creatively and mindfully. No wonder, they miss what a comprehensive school culture provides — say, a life-long relationship with good teachers, a spirit of fellow feeling and the joy of music, theatre, sports and other 'non-utilitarian' creative pursuits.
Third, it is equally important on the part of the parents to accept a set of fundamental facts about their children's unique aptitudes, inclinations, capabilities and mental orientations. For instance, there is no harm if your child is not particularly inclined to science and mathematics. Likewise, it is possible for a child to have deep interests in the so-called 'soft' domains — say, music, literature, aesthetics, theatre or social work.
And, it is not a mistake on the part of your child if she/he needs some breathing space for exploring and understanding what she/he really wishes to do in life.
However, as the anxiety-ridden middle class parents abhor any 'risk', they want their kids to follow what is seen as the standardised path towards a 'secure' career.
So, these youngsters, irrespective of their inclinations and capabilities, are compelled to nurture the same ambition that is seen as 'acceptable': the desire to become a software engineer or a doctor. Quite often, it becomes exceedingly difficult for them to bear the resultant psychic pressure and fulfil the unnatural parental ambitions.
No wonder, it is now common to find a suicide note like this: "I am the worst daughter. Sorry mummy, papa. Yahi lasts option hai."
And finally, let us accept that the routinised acts like pariksha pe charcha or a set of counselling sessions fail to address the real issue.
The fact is that these youngsters are suffering because we live in an over-populated society of perpetual scarcity.
Moreover, because of
the neoliberal/market-driven doctrine of hyper-competitiveness and the resultant logic of the 'survival of the fittest', the commodification of almost every aspect of life seems to have become normal. As education is increasingly commodified and marketed, it loses its libertarian potential. Nobody joins the coaching industry to think critically or activate the faculties that make us truly humane, compassionate and sensitive.
Likewise, these days, the worth of being educated is measured primarily in terms of "placement and salary package." And this reckless pressure to emerge as a saleable commodity or a "resource" that the market needs to use tends to cripple one from deep inside. Alienation or chronic nervousness is the price of 'success'. Indeed, as the latest National Crime Records Bureau data suggests, with 13,044 student suicides in a year, an "epidemic is sweeping India."
When will we wake up, initiate a movement for structural and cultural transformation and give a life-affirming vision of education and vocation to our children?
