In a shocking incident, a student hailing from Swat committed suicide with police claiming that the boy was upset over his performance in the examination.
The student, identified as Ayub Khan, a resident of College Chowk Matta, reportedly shot himself after the first paper in the ongoing Secondary School Certificate examinations.
The tragic incident has raised concerns among educationists and psychologists who urge parents not to pressure their children to perform exceptionally well in examinations.
Experts criticize the education system for only valuing students who score high grades, leading to immense pressure on students who cannot cope with the competition.
They also believe that the way exams are conducted only encourages students to cram for higher grades, instead of actually understanding the subject matter.
An Educationist said,
When parents put pressure on children to do well in examinations, this increases stress and anxiety, leading to poor physical, social, and emotional health.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is among the countries where student suicide is not an uncommon phenomenon, and 25 percent of cases involve teenagers.
According to a report published by the World Health Organization, every year more than 15,000 suicide cases are recorded in Pakistan, and most of them are due to unnecessary exam burden.
