"LUDHIANA: Education stress may have just claimed its youngest victim. Ten-year-old Trilok, a student of Class III in Ludhiana's Janata Model School, was found hanging from the ceiling of his house on Monday evening. Police, after preliminary investigations, said classroom pressure most likely drove him to death.
"Dhuni Ram, the boy's father who worked as a daily wager, said Trilok had been resisting going to school for sometime, saying he was unable to cope. Ram, a migrant labourer from Bihar, said he believed pressure in class may have led to his son's death."
When do we realize that there is something inherently wrong in an education system? When something like this happens. But even then, will the Indian government realize what is wrong with its system of education?
Firstly, there are absolutely not enough educational opportunities. The stress created by this lack of opportunity is what leads to high suicide rates amongst Indian students. When will there be universal education like there is here? Sure, we complain about school, but I hope that everyone realizes that our system of education provides that equality of opportunity. I admit that even the American system of education has serious problems so that this equality of opportunity isn't available to everyone, but it's a step. Arguably, the No Child Left Behind Act doesn't really help much, making the underachieving schools worse, but the American system of eduction is certainly more effective, even if it is not perfect, than the Indian system of government.
What can the Indian government do with its population in the billions, now? It's tough. They don't have much superfluous money, but they're not in trillion-dollar wars. Education is something that should certainly be handled at the state and local levels, even in the US. India, in many cases, is as diverse nationally as the US is. There are so many different dialects and customs, it's difficult to establish a curriculum that is appropriate for all students across the nation.
There is a step, however, that should be established first of all. Getting school-age children off the streets. There are restrictions on who can be beg, but that's certainly not enough. Babies and children are still begging, living on the streets, dying of hunger. That is not right at all. Free education isn't incentive enough, of course, to stop children from begging. They need money to support their families. Something needs to be implemented so that children will realize that an education will help them earn money. Education will also stop the exponential growth in population, which is certainly not helping matters for the poor, who are the ones reproducing the most, oftentimes.
Anyways, consider this an introduction to P. G. Priyam's Education Reform Series. More to come later! :D
sometimes (less now) school pressure (grades) made me go insane. its partial because of being a perfectionist. but yeah most of the stress in my life has to do with school. not even actual work is so stressful
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India still has many other problems that could have indirectly led the boy's death. The caste system is still in use and it's not easy to try to break from something that has been a way of life for many generations.
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I agree. People need to stop blaming everything on stress and personal problems. We are greatly influenced by our environment and past experiences. and i think in this case it was tradition (perhaps).
You're right, but the effects of caste system would be significantly reduced if education support was strengthened from the moment kids start learning.
From my experience in both urban, suburban, and rural areas of India, the caste system is now seen as a method of preserving tradition (each caste and subcaste has different traditions and subcultures). It is rarely used as discrimination in the places that I am from, but I realize it discrimination based on caste still exists in many places.
I also know from familial experience the amount of stress that the Indian education system places on students. For example, the IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) is the most prestigious system for engineering students, like the MIT/Caltech of the US. In this year, 55 students are trying out per seat available, down from 74 last year (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/This_yr_getting_into_IIT_a_tad_easier/RssArticleShow/articleshow/1790709.cms). Many people, including my cousin, try for more than three years before realizing that they might not be able to get in. Joining a medical school is similarly difficult.
Now, I don't know why this boy killed himself, but the police blame it on educational pressures. Regardless of whether that is the reason he killed himself, educational pressures do yield higher suicide rates in India (and in many other countries). This is a result of the importance of education in Indian culture, but this importance is not a bad thing. Having a government that is yet insufficient in providing education is the problem at hand. The caste system is present, but strengthening local education programs is ultimately what will rid people of caste bias, and it is also what will provide equality of opportunity in education (ideally).
Again, my observations are widespread concerning India because I've visited and experienced much of India. This boy was from the same state I am from and the same state that I spend most of my time in while I am in India. Hence, my thoughts that educational pressure is more vital in the role of this boy's suicide than caste system, which is not as present in Bihar (and in most places of India) than it was before Indian independence.
This Boy Might have been a victim of Stress. But stress from school dosen't only come from Education, Students and teachers hold a high role in 'School Stress'. Trying to 'fit in' or be 'normal' is pretty challenging. We'll never know if his class's were to hard, if society pushed him to far to be 'perfect', if bullys were harssing him, makeing him feel as if death would be better then facing them, maybe it was rejection from a class crush? or maybe he was picked on in gym or recess? being called a Faggit and other names really do stick inside your head. one time I saw a Teacher tell off a Student, She said, "you Better Sit down right now! If not, Your going to end up like that F***ing loser over there' (pointing at a older male student) which is hard words, Even now that boy left the school at grade 11, and never went back because of that female teacher. He's know trying to study for a GED but thinks it's not worth pursuing. How do i know? I'm going out with him, I'm Graduating from high school and will be attending College this fall. I like school. But I'll admit it was Stressfull, But I was able to cope it.
We won't know, but there have been so many incidents that are similar to this. The fact that educational stress might have had any part in this is disturbing. Yes, we all have educational stresses, but from personal experience (again), it's hard to have very many other high-paying jobs if you're not absolutely in the top of your class. For example, the top 30% in a class might all have 95%+ scores. It's like the SAT Math II Subject Test with the ridiculous curve.
Stress is certainly a part of education, but we also have to realize in the case of this boy that he is not the US. He might have had some situation like that, but in the culture he was living in, it would not be that likely. Regardless of whether educational stress is at the heart of this boy's suicide or not, the educational system in India still needs to be reformed.
You were able to cope with school. You like it. I was able to cope with school, and I love it as well. However, when there is no other choice for a person outside of overachieving, there's a problem in that educational system. There needs to be more attention for the individual rather than money, and ultimately that comes back to strengthening education at the local level.
I'm glad that your boyfriend is trying to get his GED. I wish him the best of luck, and I'm sorry that he had to go through what he did. People are terrible often, unfortunately, and we can also only hope that stronger education will be more effective in strengthening people's wills to sustain hard-hearted people. Unfortunately, again, even education cannot rid the world of those hard-hearted people, but hey, at least we get some spice because of them. But I digress: did I answer all of your points? Ultimately, I realize that social pressures do cause suicides, but in India, educational stress is much more prevalent than it should be.
Wow.. I don't think just school stress but its a huge possibility.
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You never know. It seems like a ridiculous possibility to those of us who know how to handle stress. Especially in India, people believe that being the best is directly connected to being successful in life. For students, if you're not successful from the beginning on, you probably won't be successful later on. There are few people who realize the concept that you can be successful with hard work, usually, and not just educational pressure. However, in India, however, this itself is difficult to do, forget just thinking about it (if that makes sense).
We usually don't hear about India, which is just behind China as a rising economic power, so it's nice (well, not nice, but you know what I mean) to see a story like this posted.
I agree with all you have to say about educational opportunities, but the content of your post doesn't really jive with the title and the article it cites. Shouldn't this kid have been GLAD to have been receiving an education instead of begging on the streets?
I've read Chinese and Indian students are beating the crap out of U.S. students in terms of Math and Science scores.... The educators must be doing something right.
"CONSERVATIVE, n.
A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others."
- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
Thanks for your comment! India is a topic that's close to my heart. There are definite parallels you can make between the US and India. Although they are two completely different nations with different problems, you can learn from the problems of one nation to improve upon another one, even if it's already a global power.
But I digress: Indian educators are pretty good in terms of teaching (usually), and the students do realize the value of education. However, there is a type of government ceiling on the number of professional jobs in the country. Thus, there is too much competition. Although students learn well, there are ridiculous curves (as I mentioned earlier), and students don't know what subject they should work in if they don't get into medicine or engineering. After 10th grade, there is no "general education" in India. You go straight into a specialization or training for a specialization. Here is where a serious problem comes in: there aren't enough spaces (because the government limits the numbers of jobs) for all those kids training for medicine or engineering. Thus, after years of preparation for that one particular field, they find that they don't know what to do if they don't get into a particular school.
The article is related to this topic because it shows the extent to which educational pressures just might be going. In fact, they are already there. Maybe this 10-year-old didn't kill himself because of educational pressures, but other students of his age are under this stress with can cause serious issues in the short and long run.
Although Indian and Chinese students are better-prepared educationally, what percentage of them are actually being educated? The number of Indian students achieving great heights nationally and internationally are a miniscule percentage that will not represent all Indian students until all Indians are given the right of education. 100% of Indian children are not being educated; 100% of those educated are still not succeeding. The overall percentage of those who are better educationally than American students is relatively small compared to the whole. This is one instance where the microcosm doesn't reflect the macrocosm at all.
The comparison to U.S. education is interesting. What's better: a relatively small, highly educated elite, or a population that receives a general baseline education of a lower standard? I would guess the fear among the Indian elites is that the masses would be diverting resources from the highest achievers, which is a valid fear; but an educated workforce yields huge returns, and the U.S. having been (and still is, though it runs the risk of being eclipsed) at the forefront of scientific advances for decades proves that the pie is big enough for everybody to get a good piece.
What if the U.S. started courting educated Indians who aren't able to find work? There's a shortage of (good) educators in this country, so we could get some good cross-pollenation going by hiring them as teachers; they get jobs, and we improve our education system.
"CONSERVATIVE, n.
A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others."
- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
This post opened my eyes to the immense pressures on Indian students. I know I feel stressed at times, but never anything so drastic. I do realize how lucky I am as an American with the public school system.
Basic education should be placed in the national government's hands. When local authorities are in charge of eductaion, there are no standards. One area may have high school seniors studying Algebra, while other areas have students at Calculus levels. When it comes time to enter colleges, many would be at a disadvantage.
By the way, I believe there are too many standardized tests given in schools today. We should teach the students content, not how to take a test to get more funding.
Thanks for your comment!!! :D
Yes, there is immense pressure on Indian students; however, I don't mean to undermine the pressure on US students (as I am one, myself). There need to be serious revisions to both, although I'm not too sure national standards will help. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) has only been detrimental to the schools that it was meant to support--the low-achieving ones. Ultimately, I still feel that local districts and governments will know best what their schools need. Those that need more support (because they are under-achieving) are the ones that need federal support, particularly financially. Ultimately, this should help equalize standards amongst all students and schools. Granted, it will take a long time, but it will be just one step closer to a better educational system.
The difference in education in the U.S. and foreign countries like china and japan and india really is pretty huge. It's not that the education system itself is all that different, it's just that the seeming importance of it is a world of difference. We don't measure up to those countries when it comes to taking education seriously. Education in the U.S. is getting better but it is still a common occurance for students to become apathetic and take pride in their "slacker" title. There is no doubt that the importance of education in India and other countries like it has been significant in producing some of the most intelligent individuals in the world, but the problem is that not everyone is capable of that level. Hard work does make a huge difference. I learned that becoming an engineer when I had to work ten times harder at everything and am now getting A's in some of the classes I never would have thought that possible. But even still, I've been fairly decent at math my whole life. There are some people that just aren't wired for certain professions and the pressure to enter those professions is a problem. It can be extremly detrimental to self-worth in that system to be below average in a field that is considered professional. Even if someone is really great at something else they can loose a sense of self-worth because the things they are good at aren't valued in society. The U.S. has been doing very well in teaching students to do community work and help people outside of school. But then again our education system is lacking when it comes to motivating students to work hard. We get cheat sheets and graphing calculators that do everything for us and students start to rely on that to the point that they can't do anything without it. Personally I think there needs to be a balance somewhere between the too. Balance is an important concept and balancing professional life with social life is the best way to be innovative without burning people out.
And yeah we do have way too much focus on standardized testing, mostly in middle to high schools but that's a huge issue. We don't have enough money to pay teachers more and as a result, we don't have many really great teachers. Sure there are always a few that really know their material but schools have to settle for what they can afford which ends up placing students at a disadvantage. Standardized tests are there to ensure that the material is being taught correctly and that everyone is recieving the same education so nobody loses because they live in the wrong county. It doesn't work well because the tests aren't designed well but the whole system should be improved and given less emphasis. I don't think it should be removed (as much as I hated it) because if educators don't know where their students stand in comparison to other schools than they can't recognize where they need improvement. As far as pushing the tests to get funding it's not good for education but it's hard to blame the school system when they need the money to make improvements. Most schools don't get much from anywhere else.
Here's to hoping someone can find a better solution.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will recieve an inheritence from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24
Maybe the discrepancy in student outlook on education between the U.S. and China and India has to do with our status in the world. We're still leading in scientific enterprise, and superiority can breed complacency, especially with our self-absorbed MySpace generation. Perhaps the Chinese and Indians are more driven to succeed because they want to raise the standing of their respective countries.
"CONSERVATIVE, n.
A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others."
- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
Good point, hadn't really thought about that
And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
I thought I was responding to the previous comment instead of starting a new one. Oh well.
This is a new one, though: the original author of this blog might be interested in this article, about American universities working out deals with India. It's worth a read.
"CONSERVATIVE, n.
A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others."
- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"