“There seems to be an undercurrent of anxiety and mistrust running through India’s education system!” Studying, apparently, is increasingly becoming an onerous, exhausting, and often overwhelming task for many learners.
Probably this sensation stems from a combination of high academic pressure, cognitive overload, and modern distractions that make deep concentration difficult.
Educators opine that studying feels burdensome largely because of the high pressure and the inefficient, stressful and often fragmented way it is carried out. Shifting to structured, active, and strategic methods can significantly reduce the burden.
But then reams have been exhausted on criticizing an education system which has failed to deliver but is persisted with just for the simple reason that it continues to exude an aura which is a mix of awe for those who are availing it and a matter of condescendence for those dispensing it.
The system is maintained because it functions as a societal filter rather than a tool for empowerment. It holds an air of prestige for students and parents who see it as the only pathway to success.
Conversely, it acts as a mechanism of arrogance for those who manage, teach, or curate it -- often fostering a rigid, haughty, or detached approach that favours elite, theoretical, or rote-based knowledge over practical skills.
The modern education system is frequently described as a factory producing individuals trained for obedience rather than innovation. It concentrates on rote-learning, exam-centric evaluation, and rigid curricula.
This often leads to high-stress, ‘machine-like’ learning, resulting in graduates who struggle to apply knowledge in real-world scenarios.
Despite the deluge of criticism, this system presumably survives because it is deeply ingrained in social mobility aspirations and bureaucratic inertia. It creates a glass-ceiling for many while maintaining a veneer of authority.
But as a traditional education system often viewed as a continuation of colonial-era structures, it has more drawbacks than advantages.
Reforms have often failed to produce transformative change because they frequently address surface-level issues rather than the deeply entrenched, pedagogic culture.
The current educational experimentation focuses on shifting from rote memorization to experiential, technology-driven learning. But how adept are the policy makers in introducing such a system of education in order to produce graduates who can vouch for the new mode of education as being radically different from the erstwhile one!
While the vision is clear, the implementation shows a mix of proactive, innovative approaches alongside significant infrastructural and institutional hurdles.
But while this paradigm shift aimed at making education more relevant and preparing learners for a rapidly evolving world should have ushered in a generation of thinkers and innovators, we are riddled with a corps of uncertain and undecided youngsters who are pains to grapple with a system which is as unclear to them as it is to those who have to implement it.
It is a critical irony in modern educational reform. Instead of fostering independence, this ambiguity leaves many young people feeling lost, struggling to navigate a system that lacks clear direction or, ironically, fails to adequately replace the traditional structure it sought to dismantle.
A renowned educator is of the opinion that study these days has become too bookish, less linked to real life and life values. Learning is something as natural as breathing, provided the environment is conducive and supportive. Too much instruction and fixed methods deprive learners of individual memory.
The learning crisis is accentuated by the fact children are failing to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.
With overuse of gadgets from early life, coupled with social media onslaught, the imminent danger of brain rot looms large. State forces and industry are busy pushing technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, making human learning irrelevant.
When considering students striving hard to get into professional colleges, the process is often characterized by extreme competition, immense pressure, and significant, sometimes detrimental, impacts on their mental health and well-being.
However, students stepping into professional colleges often experience higher levels of stress compared to their peers in other fields. This transition acts as an ‘acute stressor’ due to the intense pressure to excel, the high volume of work, and the need to adjust to a new, often demanding environment.
The chronic unmanaged stress in professional settings can lead to burn out, mental health issues, and physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and sleep disorders.
Stress, specifically driven by intense academic pressure in professional colleges, is a significant factor contributing to substance use among students, often serving as a coping mechanism for anxiety, burnout, and depression.
The escalating crisis of student stress, particularly in high-stakes academic environments, has led to a significant and tragic increase in student suicides, which researchers and officials have increasingly described as an ‘epidemic’ or natural fallout of intense pressure.
Shockingly, research and government reports point to a combination of academic and social stress, and lack of institutional support and awareness, as contributing factors.
The urgent need for mental health interventions and supportive measures within educational institutions to address this growing crisis thus becomes crucial.
The recent spate of suicides at the BITS Pilani campus in Zuarinagar, Goa has admittedly shaken the academic community and raised urgent questions about student mental health.
Unfortunately, the seriousness of these tragic incidents fails to register with us and lasts only the duration of the media coverage and wanes with the passing days as the news moves over from being stark headlines to slowly recede to the back pages as inconsequential matter.
Rather than view them as sensational news, there is a need to treat student suicides as a severe public health crisis, a systemic failure of the educational and social environment, and a preventable tragedy requiring urgent, evidence-based mental health support and intervention. Studying should not be an onerous task!
