Beyond test scores: Helping students find meaning
When we read about yet another student suicide, it calls for understanding and some action. Not only in India, but also in Japan, US, and countries worldwide, we see that the problem is severe.
A friend of mine shares the story that during her teens, she concluded that life had no meaning and that for her the best way out was to commit suicide. While waiting for the right moment to act, she was drawn to an article by Paramhansa Yogananda.
He mentioned that suicide, like other major decisions, creates a pattern, and that over a few incarnations, it can become habitual. In this cycle, a soul will continue to incarnate until it can overcome the same life lessons that it has encountered previously. She had never heard anyone present suicide as a 'bad' habit, something she would need to break. She always thought of it as an alternative to the endless ups and downs that come from looking for happiness outside oneself. With this new perspective, she was able to accept life's challenges and move forward in facing them.
While studies point to a wide variety of causes for student suicide, academic pressure is one of the most common and one of the most preventable. The intense focus on high test scores creates tremendous stress for students, as evidenced by the fact that children as young as seven and eight are subjected to hours of after-school tutoring.
The root cause of this pressure is the widespread belief among parents and teachers that high test scores will significantly enhance a student's chances of securing a good job. This perspective is outdated. Guy Halfteck, CEO, Knack, reports: 'Cognitive ability is a small fraction of what we measure. We measure everything from creative abilities to emotional and social intelligence, to how you think and make decisions.'
It is time for us to defuse the frenzy around test scores, not only for those who might take their lives, but for all those students who are burdened by these unnecessary and harmful pressures. A more balanced approach is presented in India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Making space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.
To shift from student stress to student enthusiasm, we need innovative ways to nurture the full potential of each student. Students can use meditation as a means of relaxation and connecting with their inner selves. They must be encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences as they investigate a wide variety of life skills that can enhance their sense of well-being and happiness. Perhaps most importantly, they can learn that they are not alone in facing life's challenges.
These practices can also benefit students in other settings, from kindergarten through graduate school. Meditation is a time-honoured method of disengaging attention from outward tensions and redirecting it to the rejuvenating experience of inner peace. Students can identify small, achievable steps toward overcoming debilitating tendencies like nervousness, anger, melancholy, and loneliness.
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