Bring back happy schools
Suggest Experts Concerned Over Suicides By Students………Chittaranjan Tembhekar I TNN
Mazgaons Vineet Pawar, a Std VII student of Anza High School in Byculla, committed suicide on September 30, fearing that his parents and teachers would reprimand him for not completing his homework
Mira Road youngsters Vimal Achari and Vibha Shrotri (names changed), Std IX students at Our Lady of Nazareth School in Bhayander, consumed rat poison on September 26 for failing an Algebra test by 2 marks, said their suicide note
On October 18, Arpana Rajesh Jha, a Std VII student of Delhi Public School in Nerul, left behind a suicide note saying she was ending her life for faring poorly in an English exam
The spate of suicides among students has alarmed psychiatrists and academicians, who believe the only solution lies in bringing back the concept of happy schools.
Involving grandparents in a childs life, making play an important ingredient of a childs daily regimen and cutting down on computer games and television will help he/she integrate better with society, say doctors.
Children get depressed and stressed out not only because of competition but also due to the demanding drill of parents-teacher meetings that focus on the kids shortcomings rather than strengths.
The solution, doctors prescribe, is to bring back the vanishing concept of happy schools, which has been replaced by schools hungry for marks. They also say counselling and introducing fun time with parents, grandparents and teachers during parental meets will help a lot. In a nutshell, they insist that expanding a childs EQ, and not just the IQ, is important.
We need to instill in our children that education is not just about marks but also about e l evat i n g their level of understanding concepts, learning newer ideas and retaining knowledge through practice. It is not as instant a success as they get through computers and mobiles, says an expert.
Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty suggests mental health movements involving families, peers and schools, life-skills training, health workshops, relaxation and fun through full-fledged counselling centres. This, according to him, will cost only Rs 3 more per child. He also suggests extra help to children through schools instead of tuitions.
These incidents indicate something very serious. Teachers motivating only those children who get good marks is not a good sign. Discrimination and very high
expectations should be replaced by counselling and enjoyment. If we had the joint family system, these aspects would have been taken care of, says psychologist Seema Hingorani.
expectations should be replaced by counselling and enjoyment. If we had the joint family system, these aspects would have been taken care of, says psychologist Seema Hingorani.
Psychiatrist Nirmala Rao says, Children are not ready to write and are hyperactive. They have lot of information but not the knowledge to process it. Parents need to impart critical thinking skills instead of expecting the child to be a computer engineer.
Mumbai sheriff and academician Indu Shahani said todays children were missing mental and spiritual counselling traditionally imparted by grandparents. In the past, fun with families and friends and exercise with senior family members used to play a major role in busting stress. Psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria says people shouldnt shy away from approaching professionals. Conducting counselling sessions for children, parents and teachers was cheaper than buying computers.
Children should be asked to play games and expand their ability to understand people and systems, she adds. Academician Farida Lambay says, We should make children expressive and mature enough to understand concepts and situations, and hold peer group discussions and fun events.
WARNING SIGNS
Makes statements like I will not see you again
WARNING SIGNS
When a child is irritable and aggressive
Quiet, withdrawn and loses appetite
Loses sleep/runs away from homeTalks about death/dying
Gives away his/her precious thingsMakes statements like I will not see you again
(As told to TOI by Dr Harish Shetty)