Counseling best remedy to ease academic pressure

Students attempt to end their life on account of depression or through an impulsive act triggered by a traumatic experience. The crushing pressure on teenagers to do well in exams can leave students so agitated that they feel life just isn’t worth living.
The recent incident of an Indian teenager, Mir Ameer Ansari, who took his own life, underscored the academic pressure of studying until the late hours of the night and striving to stay ahead in the rat race for good marks, which ultimately forced him to take this extreme step.
“I wouldn’t like to call this a suicide, as my son was struggling with depression and academic pressure due to which he unconsciously took this step,” said Ameer’s father.
Many people expressed their sentiments through social media upon hearing the tragic news. “We are shocked over the death of Ameer, as we never thought he would take such an extreme step. There was a chance for him to re-appear in the subsequent examination. It’s sad that he is no more,” said a friend of Ameer on one of the social networking channel. Whether one calls it a suicide or an unwary move, the thought of ending life will probably cross the mind of students at some point in their lives. The reason is the academic pressure that troubles students. With the increasing pressures faced by students, the school authority should organize counseling centers. Counseling should be made mandatory as students face pressure from peers, parents and teachers.
Education is highly prized anywhere in the world and plays a major role in determining job and marriage scenarios, which accumulates greater strains on students to excel.
Sabah Ahmed, a Pakistani student attends school in Jeddah from morning till afternoon and then goes for private tuition sessions until 10 p.m. Before going to bed she finishes her homework and manages to sleep for only a few hours.
“Waking up in the morning is the hardest part of my day and sometimes I doze off during classes and often get scolded by teachers,” she said. “Every day is a stressful day for me, as studies have now become tougher and increasingly more competitive,” she said.
Consequently many students are in a constant state of exhaustion, coupled with sleep deprivation and depression.
“Parents have high expectations of their children to score good marks regardless of the difficulties, which causes them to spiral into depression when they don’t meet their parent’s hopes” said Dr. Saleh, a psychologist.
He said that academic competition in the past usually began during high school, however these days it has originated in elementary school, thereby setting off feelings of anxiety and distress from an early age.
“Children these days complain about being overwhelmed,” he said.
Noticing such situations, many parents in the Kingdom have requested from schools and institutions to address the problem by organizing and hyping counseling programs. The process can build bonds between parents, teachers and students.
“We usually find children feeling cranky and irritable, sleepless and anxious when exams or results are around the corner. The idea of counseling or providing guidance in times of stress and anxiety would help students a lot and hopefully relieve them,” said Fatimah, an Indian school teacher in Dammam.
“All school students face problems and require help. Counseling programs may ease their difficulties and boost their confidence and hopefully prevent similar tragic incidences of the like of Ameer’s story in the future,” she said.
Sadia Mohammed, a therapist, feels that every school should embark upon a counseling trend.
“Parents and teachers should realize that even a small notch of criticism from them can lead to a loss of confidence among students. We usually notice among children a hesitation and inability to express their feelings to their parents. Hence, the idea of counseling between parents and children can to some extent address the problem,” she added.