Murders and suicides: for Education.

The second Sunday of February, newspapers of any tongue and label carried of the tragic news of murders and suicides all centered on the compounds of a school. A 15 year old student Stabs a teacher to death; another 15 year commits suicide by hanging; two classmates jumped off a four storey building; a 17 year boy found dead in Rabindra sarovar.

All these incidents had quite a few common features even though all these mishaps were registered in different parts of the country. The students in all these misfortune incidents were Metro based, all were admitted to reputed institutes of Teaching, and all had Parental pressure to perform way beyond their league. Numerous motives were offered, by many an experienced and knowledgeable professionals for the irrational behavior of Juveniles at their most depressed moments, especially at a phase that could turn the course of their career paths. The rational reasoning grounds were multifaceted and blamed every institution of society involved in an Individuals grooming; the parents and their personal ambitions, the Individual and his ability, the administrators and teachers of schools.

All are born equals, that’s factual in the eyes of the Indian law and some of the greatest religions of the worlds, but when it comes to the faculties of an individual some are more blessed than others. Some may excel in mathematics, some in science or Literature or fine arts, it all depends on an individual’s interest. Focus in any area against one’s own inclination either through emotional pressure or by compulsion of the society’s establishments is an indiscernible form of cruelty. When heart and mind work together, expect a miracle; but that’s just an old English quote for many of the parents. The most popular school, the most popular course, placement assuring colleges, good salary package, these are the things that bother the parents most than the child’s proclivity.

It’s the individual upon whom the burden of fine performance is placed for eternity by the distressed parents, who rather believe in their own ill advised judgment than the desires of their wards. Parents are to be blamed for enforcing their own ambitions, whims and fancies as destiny on the young and hapless souls. Fair and foul means are often adopted by parents to achieve their ‘own’ dreams for their children. Aren’t the problematic students to be blamed at least in some of the cases, no, as the problematic student most often turns out to be a victim of bad parenting; it’s always the pampered single child or the only daughter/son or single parent child, adjusting to the strict environment of a classroom is almost a hell for them. The eastern policy of cohabiting with children until any one of them goes to the grave needs an overhaul. A Teen, with all the responsibilities of an adult and mollycoddled, how can anyone endure such a misery?    

Teachers- in a private management setup are mere pawns and scapegoats in this vicious environment. Professional Ethics, service compulsions, or the customer’s needs, demands a golden egg out of every students. Mature teachers accept diversity among students, some don’t, but still only parents are to be blamed for enforcing their own will on their children’s.  

Robert kiyosaki is a stranger to most of us, not all parents can think like him or believe in his theories.