Students must have freedom of choice?

With the increasing number of suicides committed by teenagers after their dismal performance in the Board exams, parents seem worried. After the recently announced CBSE results for Class 10 and 12, the capital alone registered seven cases of suicide by teenagers.
The scenario is not only upsetting parents, but sociologists and psychiatrists seem perturbed by this disruptive social trend. Says renowned psychiatrist Samir Parikh, ?It?s an alarming signal for our society that our youngsters are getting depressed because of their mediocre performance in exams. Peer pressure and the rise in competition to move ahead are two major factors for this trend. Both parents and teachers must ensure that their children and students don?t get entangled in this depressive net and have reasons to smile even in the time of crisis.?
But beyond the distant sermonising, the pain and suffering the student goes through can only be fully understood by him, feels Sameera Bhargav, a Class 12 student, who attempted suicide because of her poor performance in mathematics. ?It?s not that I lack the courage to face the world after failure, but what was? unbearable for me was to accept the fact that I?m far behind my classmates. Despite doing my best, I decided to end my life to escape the humiliation. But I was saved by God?s grace,? she explains.
Refusing to accept the lack of confidence and courage in her daughter, Sameera?s mother Gitanjali Bhargav says, ?Sometimes, the reason behind a bad performance might be an incorrect choice of subjects. Since every child has an inborn talent for a specific field or discipline, it?s the duty of both the parents and teachers to help them pursue what they enjoy. That?s what exactly happened with Sameera. She is exceptionally good in literature, but we made her take science and maths to make her an engineer which proved fatal for our child as she is highly sensitive and can?t take failure easily.?
Prof. Manjit Arya, who taught sociology at the JNU, says that it?s high time that teenagers are given their space to pursue what they actually like. ?In today?s world, several avenues other than the conventional ones have opened. So, why should we impose our preferences upon them?? he asks.

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