Sir,

It was indeed very distressing to read about the suicide of two II PU students who had failed in the exams (Star of Mysore dated May 2).

Many schools and colleges, including the so-called elite private institutions are in the habit of applying undue pressure on the average and weak children to perform well in their respective terminal exams/unit tests from the very start of the academic year, or else face the prospect of being debarred from appearing in their final exam.

In most cases, it has been observed that the class teachers as also the subject teachers are more interested in helping the bright students of their respective classes rather than help those who are weak in their studies to improve upon their performance. A child can perform only to the best of his/her capabilities in whichever field he/she is interested in. One cannot expect a child to excel in any field in which he/she has no interest whatsoever.

A child should never be forced to study a subject he/she is not capable of studying by himself/herself. Every school teacher’s duty is to act as a guide to all children in his/her class and never discriminate between a brilliant student and a weak one.

I request the authorities concerned to instruct all schools/colleges to immediately put an end to all such pressure tactics, as also their respective parents, before we start losing innocent lives in the process.

– Ashok  Bhushan, JP Nagar, 2.5.2018

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