Every year, news of student suicides make headlines in India, a country of more than a billion where parents always want their children to be the best and brightest.
Parents don’t want to compromise. And therein lies the biggest problem.
There’s no denying that a child’s future is – arguably – the biggest concern for parents. But then again, our educational institutions are always on the lookout for top students, the race starts from school where scholarly badges create an awkward divide across classes.
So what happens? In their efforts to push students to live up to their reputation, parents feel pressured and force their students to set the bar very high to match the standards set by these education institutions. What do parents want? I think these days parents are only concerned about how the world will see their students. And this is what causes the crisis. It is nothing but the crunch of doing the best you can, in a seemingly endless race to win.
For the past two years, Indians – well aware that jobs are being lost in the West – have been sending their children to colleges in the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States. In 2022, an estimated 7.7 lakh Indian students went abroad to study – the highest in six years – and many faced serious challenges finding jobs afterwards. This was highlighted by Canada-based education firm M Square Media. That’s not all. The Indian Ministry of Education stated that only 22% of Indian students who studied abroad between 2015-2019 were able to secure employment upon their return home.
So one thing is clear.
Parents – based on the performance of others – often generalize the idea of excellence and success. This is certainly not the right approach, but not many studies have come out in India to dissuade parents from adopting this overly complicated approach. As a result, parents keep walking on the wrong path, adopting the wrong method. And the results are often disastrous. Think about it. More than 13,000 students died in India in 2021 at a rate of more than 35 per day, mainly due to failure in examinations.
The idea of excellence and success is often normalized by Indian parents based on how others are performing. Apart from academics, children are expected to excel in sports, music and arts. Hence there is no holistic development of a student who continuously crosses the limits which ultimately leads to frustration, anxiety, stress and suicide. Countless studies in India have repeatedly stated that students regularly experience pressure from their teachers and parents to perform better academically. As a result, this very stiff competition and limited opportunities make the academic journey extremely stressful.
It is a Catch-22 situation. India continues to produce some of the best CEOs in the world and all of them have been educated in the West. Hence, the craze of getting admission in a top global university will not die out anytime soon unless Indian colleges are truly at par with global standards. Some have raised their standards but not all. And there’s the catch.
Indian schools are therefore under immense pressure to produce over a million talented students every year. The competent attitude of the students helps them to excel in various fields. But hold on. Students also face high pressure to score top grade marks to get admission in the preferred course and college.
And there are countless challenges to face. This is not good news; You can always ask the students. Is this all, no this is not all. The pressure of the students reflects on their parents, it can be easily seen on the faces of the parents who invest a lot of money and time to ensure this stupendous success of their children.
Isn’t this total madness?
I have often wondered why parents don’t think differently when it comes to educating their children? After all, they can easily lead, play some important role and make the right decisions. This is very important because decisions taken at the right time and in the right way always make the best foundation for the children both in school and in college.
Will Indian parents ever learn that doing is learning? They need to know that the mad race for high marks should be shunned and it will save students from unnecessary pressure and anxiety and help them realize the benefits of education. More important is that the students will be exposed to the practical world, they will understand which skills and qualities are important and which are not. They will have the knowledge and skills of the future, otherwise they will be lost in this big race for grades.
India’s education system has really evolved, in fact accelerated by the pandemic and exponentially, Indian parents are now guiding their kids to take the right courses. It has not worked overnight as Covid is still looming around but Indian students are learning to reduce the burden of multiple exams. In fact, I think parents in India are now demanding the right kind of exams, which in turn can get their kids admitted to colleges of their choice. Parents now know the importance of certification courses in the job market.
Apart from a variety of views, educated parents emphasize on a balanced study pattern which can improve the overall personality of the students and help them achieve long-term success. Overall, Indian parents in the current era are helping students realize their strengths and supporting them with value-added courses like IT and other skill-building and competency-based programmes. That’s why they encourage students to choose the Pearson Undergraduate Entrance Examination, which greatly increases potential success and opens the door to more exciting career opportunities.
This is a good move, by all standards.
India’s nightmare college admissions – interestingly – begins in May. It has – for decades – reminded students that every year is too short in life if your marks are below 97%. It is a matter of nervousness for thousands of students who are filling forms for entrance exams. Everyone hopes that once a college lowers the bar, admission will be easier. In Delhi alone, over 4,50,000 students compete for an estimated 56,000 seats in undergraduate courses. It has always been about the increasing number and huge rush of students seeking admission in the best colleges. It is a system that has long refused to change.
This needs to change. Otherwise, private colleges will continue to charge high fees and parents will have to pledge family jewelery or insurance certificates to avail loans. It needs to be remembered that India’s education debt stands at Rs 21,000 crore. The average size of education loan for domestic colleges is ₹4,00,000 while for overseas education it ranges between ₹50-60 lakh. And then, there is a flourishing Rs 32,000-crore test-prep market, especially in cities like Kota.
This can no longer continue, and parents cannot impose their unfulfilled ambitions on their children, and children should not live on the sidelines all the time.
Glad that parents are changing in India, let this change happen. Let this change be constant.
V. Vijayasai Reddy is a Member of Parliament and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. He is the National General Secretary of the YSR Congress Party.