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Education should be without Stress, A positive stress may be allowed


Education should be without Stress

A positive stress may be allowed


Schools have been reopened! Students who are comfortable with the old schools would remain and others would have changed their schools. It appears to be a simple, accepted norm of every academic year, but it has an unaddressed fissure somewhere in the limbo. Unsatisfied with the schools quality and outcome, parents move their wards from one to one. Sadly, most of them search for institutes which provide over burdening training for competitive exams. It has become absurd logic from some senseless educational institutions which provide entrance exam coaching right from upper primary asking for stressful memorization of concepts rather than understanding the beauty of the existing knowledge. To our disadvantage, they claim to be the top notch institutions.  What stings us here is the amount of stress a student would undergo.
This is an outright de linking of education which actually is to be understood as the inherent skill of human being which helps in developing his/her wisdom by observation, analysis, experience, acceptance and understanding (Mishra and Arun, 2018). This is not a new 21st century problem. Back in 1934, Sapru committee was appointed to find out the reasons for burgeoning unemployment in united province (Utter Pradesh and surrounding areas). It came out with the report saying that the reason for such was the system of education which was preparing students for exams but not for any avocation of life. The process seems to be carried even today and no government has done anything substantial to improve the educational quality.  Evidently, education is being disassociated with knowledge.
The competitive exams can’t be done away with (there must be a change in the long term of course), but, we can look into the aspect of how we improve the holistic development of a student by making him/her cope up with the stress. The academic stress which over stepped from being a positive stress is what seldom takes the print or online media. It is acceptable if students are under a positive stress in order to perform well in the academics, but when it takes the connotation of psychological disturbances, it becomes a serious concern. A psychology research journal on west Bengal high school children shows that 63.5% of them are prone to stress. In psychological terms, being prone to stress means that they are under unbearable or abnormal levels of stress. Ironically, most of the suicide cases are registered from the age group of 15-25 years according to WHO report. Dr. Anjali Chhabria, a clinical psychologist says students undergo high levels of stress which may turn out into depression and dysthymia. These psychological anomalies would also lead to suicides. We have recently seen two such cases, each reported in Chennai and Hyderabad.
To be precise - Exam, pressure from parents, academics, self-imposed and peer imposed pressure are the major attributes which would lead to anxiety disorders. These anxiety disorders drag students into failure. This fear of failure and the failure would lead students to take extreme steps. The chart below depicts the situation climbing towards abysmal psychological distress.



If such is the situation in schools, what is the way out? Way back in 1952, Mudaliar commission (first education commission) has recommended the inclusion and necessity of counsellor and guidance teachers for secondary schools. The subsequent commissions and National curriculum Framework for School Education, 2000, National Curriculum Framework, 2005 also emphasized on the importance and need for counselor. Educational research departments has made no mistake in recognizing the increasing stress and the need for a trained counselors but state failed in the implementation. Now, it is not the time to train teachers in guidance and counselling which previous education commissions recommend, but it is time to move out of it and allow professional trained psychologists to intervene and create a space for them in schools. Counselling should not be confused to be only for students, it is extended to teachers, parents, management and psychologists (Rehabilitation and clinical) must be a part of the schools management board to decide the curriculum and activates to bring a holistic development of students. According to article in TOI, Hyderabad edition, department of secondary education was expected to issue a GO making counselling mandatory for all government and private schools, but the follow up was again lost in limbo.
Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan titled his article as “Are we a Sinful Nation?” and goes on saying that we are as we do not let children to realize their full potential. Crores of students after their high school would want to join premier institutions which makes the competition very high and makes an economic niche allowing the ill – fed brains to extend their business into education sector. Not just students but also parents and teachers pressurize children to score well in academics and entrance exams in order to be a part of those few universities. We must understand that, schools are not the place to decide the future and careers of students, they are just a capacity builders so that they help students to explore and take their decisions. We shall not become a sinful nation.
References:
1.      Chhabria Anjali. “Death is Not the Answer: Understanding Suicides and the Ways to Prevent it.”2016. Penguin books
2.      Jayaprakash Narayan. “Are we a Sinful nation?” Foundation for Democratic Reforms. January 2015. http://ekcenter.fdrindia.org/articles/are-we-sinful-nation
3.      Kodad H.S and Kazi S. A. “Emerging Areas of Counseling in Schools in India.” March, 2014. International Research Journal of Social Sciences.  Vol. 3 (3). 44-47. http://www.isca.in/IJSS/Archive/v3/i3/9.ISCA-IRJSS-2014-12.pdf
4.      National Council of Educational Research and Training. “Guidance and Counselling.” January 2015. http://www.ncert.nic.in/departments/nie/dse/activities/advisory_board/PDF/Guidelines_for_Guidance_and_Counseling.pdf
5.      Mishra Vatsala and Arun Teja. P. “Importance of Teacher - Student Interaction and Role of Technology.” Presented in
6.      Sarita and Soni. “Academic Stress among Students: Role and Responsibilities of Parents.” 2015. International Journal of Applied Research. 1 (10). 385-88
7.      Suresh Prabhu P. “A Study on Academic Stress among Higher Secondary Students.” October 2015. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention. Vol. 4. Issue 10: 63-68.
8.      Times of India. “Counselling to be Made Mandatory in Schools.” April, 2013. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Counselling-to-be-made-mandatory-in-schools/articleshow/19333930.cms

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