Competition examination has emerged as one of the most characteristic and yet harmful characteristics of a student life. What is usually depicted as a step to the attainment of success is silently taken at a hefty psychological price. To a great number of students, preparing starts at a young age and it spans years to make learning not a process but an endless race.
The stress to achieve, the fear of failure, expectations of the parents, peer comparison and a lack of places make it high-stress environment. Students tend to forego sleep, hobbies, interacting socially and even their physical health to meet the pace. In the long run, this long term stress is expressed through anxiety, depression, burnout, panic attacks, low self esteem and emotional numbness. Even a setback or failure is often perceived as individual incompetence.
Worse to make the situation is that of normalization. Extreme stress levels, emotional collapses, and fatigue are frequently neglected as being a part of the game. Mental health struggles are not reportable because of stigma, lack of support groups and the conception that resilience means to suffer in silence. There are also few instances where long-term pressure has caught up causing extreme consequences such as substance use and suicidal thoughts.
Although academic competition is inevitable, there is need to transform the system. It is necessary to develop mental health support in schools and coaching centers, construct realistic expectations, balanced preparation strategies, and open descriptions of failure. It is not through mental well-being that a student should succeed.
Do you believe that our system of education appreciates its rank above the mental health of students- and what may be done to alter it?
MBH/AB
