CHENNAI: In yet another instance of undue academic pressure snuffing out the lives of children, a Class X girl allegedly killed self, and subsequently, her mother also took the extreme step, learning about her daughter’s death.
Police said B Rajeshwari (15) and her mother, B.Kavitha (33) were found hanging in separate rooms at their residence at Bhavani Street in Virugambakkam on Wednesday night. Rajeshwari was a student at a private school near her residence.
Police said that her father, Balasubramanian, a garment dealer, chided her on Wednesday evening for failing to attend tuitions regularly and attributed her poor performance in exams to this irregularity. This had apparently upset her.
Balasubramanian found both his wife and daughter hanging on his return home and afterwards alerted the Virugambakkam police. His younger child, a five-year-old girl, was sleeping in the other room, police said.
“It is the responsibility of the society as a whole – parents, schools and the media – to tell our children that exams do not determine life. It is just one step in the long journey and our obsession with marks should come down,” Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, Founder of suicide helpline SNEHA told
Express.
From widely covering the board examination results to continuing the process even into graduation, the media are also to blame for creating an atmosphere that encourages such extreme steps, experts said.
“Recently, a Class XII girl had committed suicide in Gummidipoondy near Chennai after reading in newspaper about another student committing suicide over poor performance in board exams,” a senior police officer said.
“The fact is that the more we report about it, the more students begin to think of it as a probable solution,” Dr Lakshmi added.
At the 104 helpline, counsellor M Krishnamurthi, a clinical psychologist, deals with numerous calls from worried students after exams.
“We are treating our children like race horses. Their focus is narrowed down by the blinders we have put on their eyes. Kids call us, believing that their life is doomed if they perform below par in board exams,” Krishnamurthi said.
In case of suicidal thoughts, call 104 helpline and SNEHA helpline no: 044 2464 0060, 2464 0050.