Education holds fundamental importance in building a bright and sustainable future. A student can dispel the darkness in their life with this torch. Education is essentially the beginning of a conscious life, through which a person learns the art of living and discovers ways to overcome life’s challenges. Thus, education proves to be a means of shaping and refining human life. The development of an individual leads to the construction and progress of society. When an individual progresses, society progresses.
When we examine the current educational landscape and consider the changes occurring in the educational system over time, we find that not only have the physical structures changed, but philosophy and standards have also evolved.
After adopting the policy of liberalization in India, there was a significant shift, and privatization rapidly gained momentum. This had notable effects on the educational system, resulting in the widespread commercialization of education. A large number of private educational institutions emerged, and the trend toward skill development and professional courses increased swiftly to meet market needs.[1]
The establishment of large-scale industries created a high demand for a substantial workforce. Driven by unemployment and poverty, this demand, which primarily reinforced capitalism, easily appeared as a legitimate necessity. The surge in demand for professional, technical, and vocational courses led to intense competition due to the long queues of students and the limited number of available seats.
In response, entrance examinations were established, and private coaching centers proliferated. Some of these coaching centers and private institutions aimed to improve declining standards, but their efforts are insufficient to address the ongoing crisis.
The Race of Competition:
Due to intense competition, entrance examinations are generally seen as the selection criteria for professional courses such as medicine, engineering, and management. While this process is impartial in its structure, it essentially functions as a process of elimination. During preparation for entrance exams, students delve deeply and thoroughly into their subject of interest. However, this raises a significant question: how relevant is the curriculum they work so hard on to their future courses or real-world requirements?
These exams are based on multiple-choice questions (MCQs), which encourage rote memorization over comprehension and critical thinking. As a result, an ‘instrumental orientation‘ is flourishing in technical and professional courses. Karl Marx noted that the prevailing educational system, influenced by the dominant global capitalist mindset, produces passive and obedient workers to serve its purposes. Analyzing this system, Avijit Pathak writes, “the dominant structure of education prevalent in the country is essentially book-centric and exam-oriented; either rote learning or strategic learning (a gift of coaching centres) is its essence; and far from learning and unlearning with joy, wonder and creativity, young students become strategists or exam-warriors.”[2]
When education is limited to mere information, knowledge, wisdom, and critical thinking are lost. Consequently, education fails to instill meaning into life. Instead of being a blessing, education becomes a burden that suppresses intellect and consciousness. T.S. Eliot alludes to this reality in his famous lines:
‘Where is the life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?’ [3]
These lines poignantly highlight the diminishing impact of education when it focuses solely on gathering information, neglecting deeper understanding and wisdom.
In short, the pressure and stress imposed by entrance examinations on students are extremely distressing. However, this structure is unable to develop the ability to manage this level of pressure and stress in these students. The fundamental question against complete acceptance of this competition is how appropriate it is to subject students at an early stage and tender age to such pressure and stress, solely for securing a seat in a prestigious institution.
Jogender Singh, who is an educationist, draws attention to this structural aspect says that; “Today in India its next to impossible for everyone to get the education they want. Education system has hidden its ugly systematic insufficiency by competitive exams. The blame is cleverly shifted on students and by doing it they keep their moral grounds high and keep a large percentage of population far from getting quality higher education.”[4]
I believe students suffer the most in this entire process. Education has diverged from its philosophical and societal interpretations. Commercialization has promoted specific courses, leading to unchecked competition where entrance exams are not used for inclusion but rather for exclusion, focusing education solely on textbooks and exams. Consequently, the entire focus shifted to rote learning, benefiting coaching centers.
Paulo Freire criticized education as a “banking” model, where teachers deposit knowledge into passive students like filling an empty vessel, disconnected from the real world around them. [5] This unhealthy and weak structure has rendered education meaningless and hollow. Educational institutions are increasingly becoming advertising agencies rather than personalities shaping individuals.[6] This structure has negatively impacted students’ lives.
Due to the flawed and inadequate educational structure in the competitive environment, a significant number of students are experiencing psychological and mental distress known as “academic distress”. Research indicates that this condition severely affects students’ academic performance and mental well-being. Furthermore, assessments have shown that a substantial portion of affected students are enrolled in high schools, technical courses, and competitive exams like NEET and JEE. It can be said that students pursuing professional and vocational education are most affected by academic pressure.
Vulnerable Situations:
Academic distress is a sensitive and widespread issue. Students are the most valuable asset of any country, pivotal in its development and progress. It is concerning that this invaluable asset has been steadily eroded by academic distress over time. Students whose well-being is crucial to their families, societies, and nations are experiencing psychological and emotional turmoil. Academic distress spans a wide range of sensitive issues. This concise article cannot comprehensively cover all aspects. Therefore, we will focus on three key points that deserve particular attention:
- Understanding Academic Stress:
‘Stress’ is ingrained in human instinct, serving as a coping mechanism for everyday challenges. The stress felt over a short period is termed Acute Stress, which can enhance our performance by temporarily shaking us out of lethargy and complacency. This positive stress occurs when individuals perceive stressful elements positively. It is important to clarify that academic stress refers to stress felt over a prolonged period, known as Chronic Stress by psychologists. This can be detrimental both physically and psychologically. ‘Distress’ is also used to describe this negative form of stress.
• Academic stress includes all those factors that contribute to tension or pressure for students to varying degrees. These factors are called “stressors” and can be personal, impersonal, social, health-related, or environmental, hindering a student’s educational progress.
• Academic stress impacts students comprehensively; it prevents them from remaining calm and instead induces worry, irritability, and even panic. This negative stress often arises from overwhelming workloads, diminishing students’ capacity to fulfill their assigned tasks effectively. Consequently, they become ensnared in severe tension, lacking a clear pathway to complete their responsibilities.[7] Research from correlational studies underscores that academic distress detrimentally affects educational performance, mental and emotional well-being, overall personality development, and social interactions.[8]
• Understanding the social dimensions of stress is crucial, as it encompasses five significant aspects.
Social Determinants: They play a critical role in shaping stress, expanding its impact beyond individual experience. These factors encompass socio-economic status, gender, race, occupation, social support networks, and access to resources. Inequality, discriminatory practices, and social deprivation are key contributors to heightened stress levels within marginalized groups.
Social support: It plays a crucial role in reducing the negative impacts of stress. It includes social networks, interpersonal relationships, and community resources, all of which are essential. A strong social system of cooperation can assist individuals in increasing their resilience to manage and overcome stress effectively.
Social expectations: In society, individuals take on various roles as parents, workers, or students, each carrying multiple responsibilities and demands that can potentially become stressors. These roles are interconnected with societal norms and expectations, influencing how individuals perceive and manage stress in their lives.
Socialization: It plays a crucial role in teaching individuals to understand and internalize responses to stress. Socialization into the family, community, and broader social structure develops individuals’ understanding of stress and their ability to manage it effectively.
Structural stress: From a sociological perspective, it assesses how social structures and institutions contribute to creating structural stress. Factors like economic inequality, unemployment rates, inadequate healthcare, and educational disparities can lead to chronic stress for individuals and families. This type of stress often goes beyond individual control, necessitating collective social action to bring about structural changes.
2. The trend of increasing student suicides and collective conscience:
The rising trend of suicide among students epitomizes the pinnacle of academic distress. Emile Durkheim, a notable French sociologist known for his sociological studies of suicide, suggests that the escalating suicide rates reflect a weakening social integration and diminished social conscience within society. According to Durkheim, the rapid escalation in the suicide rate is a manifestation of an ‘abnormal’ situation. Which is a symbol of mobilizing and strengthening the forces that weaken and hollow the society.[9] This is a forerunner of the great dangers facing the society, which is a sobering moment for the society.
3. The agony before Suicide:
Society often wakes up to a crisis only when its severe consequences become evident, overlooking the stages that lead to it. Since the severe outcome of academic distress is suicide, news and reports about such incidents become hot topics. However, society fails to notice the many stages that lead a student into mental and psychological turmoil, and the various conditions they endure long before they contemplate suicide.[10]
There is an urgent need to examine the issues, difficulties, and conditions arising from academic distress. Understanding the different forms of distress and recognizing the seemingly minor causes and factors that affect a student’s academic performance is crucial. To combat the rising trend of suicide among students, it is essential to understand the stages leading up to the decision to end one’s life. This involves comprehending the mental and psychological distress that gradually drives a student to such a drastic decision.
References:
[1] Joseph, A. P. (2018). Marketization of Higher Education: Trends and Challenges. Journal of Emerging Technologies (Jetir.Org), 5(18), 566–572.
[2] Pathak, A. (2022, March 29). Common University Entrance Test won’t solve the real problems. The Indian Express.
[3] Eliot, T. S. (1934). The Rock. Faber.
[4] Competitive exams do not refine quality but it is to hide system’s incapability of providing higher education to all says Dr. Jogender Singh. (2020, July 2). Hindustan Times.
[5] Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum, New York.
[6] Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling Society. Harper & Row.
[7] Kumari, D. M., & Chaudhary, D. S. (2021). Stress among senior secondary school students and its determinants. International Journal of Applied Research, 7(3), 401–406.
[8] Reddy, J. K., Menon, K., & Thattil, A. (2017). Understanding Academic Stress among Adolescents. Artha – Journal of Social Sciences, 16(1), 39.
[9] Meo, S. (n.d.). Classiki Samajiyati Nazariyat (Book on Classical Sociological Theories in Urdu language). MANUU, Hyderabad.
[10] Sohail, S. A. (2023). Sociological Study of Academic Stress: Sources, Contributing Factors, and Recommendations(طلبہ تعلیمی تناؤ کے نرغے میں). Urdu Duniya, 25(10).
