Surveys taken from different countries to see if this prevails in other countries, if so what are the reasons and solutions…

In continuation with the fist part of the article on why students commit suicides if they fail their board exams, I had conducted a survey. In this survey I had asked 3 questions for the survey:

Do students in your country commit suicides if they fail in their board exams?

What do you think are the reasons behind this?

What are the possible solutions?

This is the response I got. I have categorised the survey according to the names of the countries.

Soujanya Shenoy,

Reason:

I feel lot of emphasis is being given to classroom education at the cost of human development. This does not have any importance in his/her daily life.

Solutions:

Change the educational system where each child gets an opportunity to know his talent and a provision for the development of his talent. I feel that we should have such a system

Manas Mittal

Reason:

The approach of the Indian educational system is highly unscientific. Most people believe that science is absolute, that is their is no doubt in things related to science. On the contrary, science is all about doubt, it's about unanswered questions and knowing that even the questions that have been answered may be wrong. I don't blame the education system too much. It is more because of societal pressure. And when you start expecting a lot from yourself.

Amna Kanwar:

No. Students done commit suicides if they fail in their board exams.

Reason:

I think a reason why students or children would commit suicide is basically low self-esteem. Children who feel they are not important and just feel down right lousy tend to think about taking their lives. They feel unloved and not cared for. This may be due to family problems, financial problems or problems at school. At school if students have a good committed teacher and they themselves are hardworking only then do they really prosper. Reality though is that its very difficult to find dedicated teachers or to find teachers for that fact and some of these teachers beat their students if they are not being able to follow the lesson thus sometimes making the students fearful of going to school. This attitude coupled with other problems most definitely leads students to think about ending their lives

Solutions:

Appoint dedicated and hardworking teachers under whom a student could bloom. It is the teacher who can inspire a student to actually study and work hard and to help the students realize their talents and potentials. Students who have emotional problems coming from home should be able to find some sort of anonymous group or organization to which they could pore their problems out to. Talking about their problems and then receiving guidance would help anyone to deal with their troubles and try to overcome them. If such a private youth organization could be established that would definitely make a difference.

Tom Middleditch:

Yes it does happen here.

Reason:

I suppose the pressure to do well whether it is from parents, school, society or themselves. I think they must have low self-esteem to think that exams and results matter more than your life. Exams are important for your future and you have to do your best but they aren't the most important things. I think I have read about other countries where education and exams results are thought so important that the stress for the children is intolerable.

Solutions:

Offer telephone help lines for students to use so there is always someone non-judgmental to talk to not that isn't really getting to the root of the problem. I suppose we need to get across to everyone that what you are is important not what you do or what exams you passed or who you beat to get there. But this world is a competitive place and to survive in the adult real world you have to compete with others - its not a very nice thought really. I think the schools should promote a less competitive atmosphere within their walls - perhaps its OK to do your best and to succeed in what you want but not to compete so aggressively again each other in a class. Another thing that schools should do, where-ever in the world they are, is to be aware of this problem and to look for signs of stress in their students, perhaps to give advice about how to avoid stress. I think I would add its good to have a relaxing hobby to fall back on and to think ahead to after exams and plan a treat for yourself.

Benjamin Quinto

Yes, I have heard that at some of the ivy-league schools, in particular Harvard University, of several students committing suicide around finals time.

Reason:

Our education system really depresses me, failing the students miserably in primary and secondary school, then putting tertiary school out of financial reach for most. The ivy-league schools (top ones) put an overwhelming burden on their students as well.

Tannie Kwong,

No it does not happen here.

Reasons:
It's really the COMPETITION people get when make them depressed

Solutions:

Obviously, there AREN'T any head on way to attach this problem. Maybe counseling (maybe though) will help. Maybe, because of stress...

Spiros Tzelepis

Such phenomena are few.

Reason:

They happen they are usually related to personal and family problems and they are not exclusively due to the pressure posed upon the students by the educational system.

Solutions:

Best solution is understanding and patience from the side of parents as well as psychological support so that the person is helped to overcome his problems.

South Korea

Yi juing Kim

Such things happen a lot here.

Reasons:

I think it's because of stress and feeling that they are losers when they fail their university entrance exams. In South Korea, there is one more important reason is getting admissions in a good university which, is one of the most important things in person's life. So, when students get bad score it's difficult to be accepted in the good university then, they commit suicide.

Solutions:

Maybe change of education system (in the case of South Korea) if the education system can be changed in the way that every student can find out their special ability not from 'score' but from some creative activity in school.

Teresa Tse

Yes, this does happen there.

Reasons:

In Primary 6, students who do not do well in school cannot be admitted into 'brand-name' schools. These brand-name schools are usually ones that have a very long history or have past students that are public figures. Most parents are especially keen on their children entering these schools because they believe that their children will have a 'promised' future if they study at one of these schools. Usually pressure from parents to get into a good school, or to do well in public exams. I haven't heard of students who take the public exams first and then commit suicide, they usually commit suicide before they take the exams because it's the pressure that they cannot deal with.

Solutions:

As I have just taken my public exams, the torture of public exams is still fresh in my mind. You cannot sleep and when you do, you feel like you haven't studied anything at all during the day and then you stay up for the rest of the night worrying. You also get sick really easily, I remember that I was so sick that I had to go to the doctor 3 times in a
week. I think it really helps to talk to friends who are taking the exam with you because they understand what's happening and how you feel, it really helped me. There will be a time when you're studying that you ask yourself why you're doing this or you feel like you're going to give up, but just set your goals (make sure it's realistic) and keep your mind focused on it.

Jeff Gu

Reason:

China has its national university entrance examination and that's the most important exam, probably, in one student's life. Because of the large number of students, the pressure and competition for this exam is extremely intense. Students spent their past 12 years study, to some extent, preparing for this exam and there will be no additional chances. So failure of enrolling at one satisfying university will crash some students' courage, since family and teachers have looked them high. This situation is exacerbated in the poor region of China, since the students' family have devoted everything they have for their study. Last year, some student's committed suicide just in this case.

Solution:

The solution is to make people aware of various success paths so they won't put
everything they have on the weight of this exam. Second is to set up more
universities and colleges. Third is to control population growth rate. The most
important method is to alter people's narrow mind and focus on this exam and make
various success paths truly practical. This two side's implementation will be
effective to the situation in China in my point of view.

Jacqueline Wright

Teen suicide because of exam results may happen, but would be pretty unusual. I hear that teen suicide has increased in Canada, but I think usually because of loneliness and stuff like that.

I think lots of organizations in Canada are trying to help, but it must be hard as it keeps happening.

Mary Carman

Heard of it occasionally but not a grave problem here.

Reason:

I suppose the reason why they might kill themselves could be because so much emphasis is put on getting good results in order to study elsewhere and have a future.