“18-year-old Prince Thomas of Ernakulam district in Kerala commits suicide after securing 91% in board exams fearing not able to fund higher education”
“Ram Kumar in Tamil Nadu takes the extreme step, fearing low marks in his 12th board exams. The results after declaration however showed that he scored a 94per cent”
“21 year old Kirorimal college student attempts suicide after not getting admission to top B schools”
“India exam pressure leads to wave of student suicides - It's exam season in India -- and it's also suicide season when students buckle under parental pressure to get high marks and into a top university for the golden chance of a high-paying job (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWKoF-D0K1OcSdsnm3Dxey96kGzA) ”
Every five minutes, someone somewhere in India attempts suicide, making suicide, the third major cause of death (source: SnehaIndia.org)
My heart aches reading these news articles every May / June. What an irony – Education, something that’s supposed to help one lead a better life turns out to be the reason for ending one's life. I am a greenhorn to blogs, but browsing through some of them on higher education, I see students totally disappointed / frustrated at not getting admission into their dream institutions.
Having seen my neighbour (same age as me) next door commit suicide after our 12th results & having gone through similar frustrations myself, would like to share my experiences / thoughts. I’m writing this for the innumerable parents & teachers in India who put unimaginable pressure on kids to secure an engineering / medical seat.
Coming from a lower middle class joint family where my dad was the sole bread winner and with 3 sisters / cousins still studying, most basic necessities seemed to be a struggle while growing up. Health issues seem to have a particular liking for the poor and at times medical expenses inflicted more pain than the ailment. Despite all the problems, like every other Indian kid I also dreamt of IIT but due to lack of proper preparation couldn’t crack the exam. Did reasonably well in XII & though I got free seats (a free seat would still cost Rs. 6500 per annum then) in a few engineering colleges, I knew my family would struggle to fund my education. I was depressed and upset with the entire educational system. That’s when I heard about C.A (Chartered Accountancy). The total cost of completing this 4 year highly recognized professional qualification was less than Rs. 5,000 (including books for all levels, exam fees, etc., back in ‘95). And at the same time I could earn ~Rs. 20,000 working for an audit firm. So dropped my engineering dreams & joined CA and along side did CWA & B.Com. One of the best things I loved about CA is the concept of unlimited admissions – No reservations / special treatments to anyone, whatsoever. Anyone can join, but the course is quite challenging that the pass percentage is usually in single digits. Other than working in an Audit firm, I also earned by writing accounts for some retail shops. After 12th, I didn’t have to trouble my family for a single penny and in fact was able to periodically contribute towards family expenses.
Was doing these professional courses all at the same time a cake walk? – NO. I’ve had my share of sleepless nights. But at least I didn’t have to worry about investing huge sums of money and at the same time gained valuable work experience auditing firms in various industries. Big thanks to my parents for never forcing me to do something despite all the criticism we received from relatives and society.
The average starting salary for a CA is Rs. 6 lacs (source: icai.org). Am I trying to sell CA / CWA? NO. Currently most parents / teachers put so much pressure on kids as though there are no professional courses other than engineering / medicine / MBA to be successful in life. Also, kids in poor families who can’t afford the fees at some of these institutions borrow at astronomical rates to fund their education. I’m just trying to tell that there are so many other options (CA being just one of them) which don’t cost you much / give any admission headaches & at the same time are highly recognized world-wide. Masters in Math, Stats, Physics, Economics, IT etc. from good Indian Universities are in high demand through out the world (having worked in US, UK, Japan & Sing have seen this demand first hand). Starting a biz is getting more and more viable / lucrative. Social entrepreneurship is another field which hasn’t been explored much in India (there are tons of other options out their today).
Parents / Teachers – Please stop dreaming for your kids. Help them have their own dreams and achieve what they dream. Please - we don’t want to see more Prince Thomas & Ram kumars. Engineering / Medicine / MBA is not the end of the world!
“Ram Kumar in Tamil Nadu takes the extreme step, fearing low marks in his 12th board exams. The results after declaration however showed that he scored a 94per cent”
“21 year old Kirorimal college student attempts suicide after not getting admission to top B schools”
“India exam pressure leads to wave of student suicides - It's exam season in India -- and it's also suicide season when students buckle under parental pressure to get high marks and into a top university for the golden chance of a high-paying job (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWKoF-D0K1OcSdsnm3Dxey96kGzA) ”
Every five minutes, someone somewhere in India attempts suicide, making suicide, the third major cause of death (source: SnehaIndia.org)
My heart aches reading these news articles every May / June. What an irony – Education, something that’s supposed to help one lead a better life turns out to be the reason for ending one's life. I am a greenhorn to blogs, but browsing through some of them on higher education, I see students totally disappointed / frustrated at not getting admission into their dream institutions.
Having seen my neighbour (same age as me) next door commit suicide after our 12th results & having gone through similar frustrations myself, would like to share my experiences / thoughts. I’m writing this for the innumerable parents & teachers in India who put unimaginable pressure on kids to secure an engineering / medical seat.
Coming from a lower middle class joint family where my dad was the sole bread winner and with 3 sisters / cousins still studying, most basic necessities seemed to be a struggle while growing up. Health issues seem to have a particular liking for the poor and at times medical expenses inflicted more pain than the ailment. Despite all the problems, like every other Indian kid I also dreamt of IIT but due to lack of proper preparation couldn’t crack the exam. Did reasonably well in XII & though I got free seats (a free seat would still cost Rs. 6500 per annum then) in a few engineering colleges, I knew my family would struggle to fund my education. I was depressed and upset with the entire educational system. That’s when I heard about C.A (Chartered Accountancy). The total cost of completing this 4 year highly recognized professional qualification was less than Rs. 5,000 (including books for all levels, exam fees, etc., back in ‘95). And at the same time I could earn ~Rs. 20,000 working for an audit firm. So dropped my engineering dreams & joined CA and along side did CWA & B.Com. One of the best things I loved about CA is the concept of unlimited admissions – No reservations / special treatments to anyone, whatsoever. Anyone can join, but the course is quite challenging that the pass percentage is usually in single digits. Other than working in an Audit firm, I also earned by writing accounts for some retail shops. After 12th, I didn’t have to trouble my family for a single penny and in fact was able to periodically contribute towards family expenses.
Was doing these professional courses all at the same time a cake walk? – NO. I’ve had my share of sleepless nights. But at least I didn’t have to worry about investing huge sums of money and at the same time gained valuable work experience auditing firms in various industries. Big thanks to my parents for never forcing me to do something despite all the criticism we received from relatives and society.
The average starting salary for a CA is Rs. 6 lacs (source: icai.org). Am I trying to sell CA / CWA? NO. Currently most parents / teachers put so much pressure on kids as though there are no professional courses other than engineering / medicine / MBA to be successful in life. Also, kids in poor families who can’t afford the fees at some of these institutions borrow at astronomical rates to fund their education. I’m just trying to tell that there are so many other options (CA being just one of them) which don’t cost you much / give any admission headaches & at the same time are highly recognized world-wide. Masters in Math, Stats, Physics, Economics, IT etc. from good Indian Universities are in high demand through out the world (having worked in US, UK, Japan & Sing have seen this demand first hand). Starting a biz is getting more and more viable / lucrative. Social entrepreneurship is another field which hasn’t been explored much in India (there are tons of other options out their today).
Parents / Teachers – Please stop dreaming for your kids. Help them have their own dreams and achieve what they dream. Please - we don’t want to see more Prince Thomas & Ram kumars. Engineering / Medicine / MBA is not the end of the world!
" It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education" - Einstein
4 comments:
nice post. keep up.
Being close friend of satya and gone thro same things as he mentions, I totally agree.
World has undergone a sea change & full of opportunities (not just limited to Engg, IT, Medicine)... key is each one explore what suits him/her but with full heart & with a goal in mind...
The education pattern shd also undergo change (not just focus on academics but all round devt of an individual)
Good food for thought..
Thanks Nanju. Yeah education should be fun and not a pain!
"Engineering / Medicine / MBA is not the end of the world!"
Well said. I can't agree more.
" It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education" - Einstein
Brilliant quote. Thanks for bringing it to my knowledge.
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