KOCHI: Exam season is back, and anxiety levels of parents and students have begun to soar.
It was in 1996 that a suicide by a mother after her ward failed to bag a first class in the SSLC examination shook the State.
Maithri Kochi, a non-governmental organisation and member of Befrienders India, working towards suicide prevention mainly through a helpline, took the cue and started offering round-the-clock helpline service for emotional support and crisis intervention before and after the SSLC results were announced.
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“We started with offering five days’ service beginning with two days before the results up until two days later. Since then, we have been offering the service, though it is now limited to three days,” said Rajesh R. Pillai, national president of Befrienders India, the India chapter of Befrienders Worldwide. Befrienders India is the nodal body that coordinates the activities of national helplines or member centres that work towards suicide prevention.
According to him, going by the number of distress calls received, the anxiety level has come down considerably, thanks mainly to the introduction of the grading system. Most calls are now from Plus-two students and those preparing for entrance exams and their parents.
“This year, we introduced a system whereby students facing exams and their parents could fix prior appointment and walk into our office at Pathadipalam near Kalamassery to avail the service of our volunteers trained in listening and befriending. This began on Wednesday and will be on till the exam season is over in April,” said T. Padmakumar, director, Maithri Kochi.
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According to the latest data published by the National Crime Records Bureau, those aged between 18 and 30 remain a highly vulnerable group, and failure in exams and unemployment are the major contributing factors. Out of the 43,817 suicide victims in that age group across the country in 2015, failure in exams accounted for 1,183 suicides. Similar was the reason for suicide by 1,360 individuals aged below 18 years and 162 children aged less than 14 years.
In fact, 8,934 out of the total suicide victims of 1,33,623 in the country were students and unemployed, taking their share to 6.70% of all victims.
“Anxiety over living up to the expectations of parents seems to trouble student callers the most. Interestingly, that is the same reason that leaves parents anxious, making them doubt whether their wards are focused enough,” said Mr. Pillai.
(Maithri Kochi can be reached at 0484-2540530 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m).