Headline October 14, 2016/ ''' !STUDENTS... -*GO*- ...WHITHER? '''

''' !STUDENTS... -*GO*- ...WHITHER? '''

*IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD*  - governance is never easy in the best of times. .Governance, even very, very hands on-

Is never a bed of roses   -as  resources and applications go competing against each other on hourly basis.

No policy, no matter how much ingenious, survives the servitude and plethora of problems, as capabilities get swallowed by deprivation. There is no long term, one just moves by living his life on daily basis.

So, in the context of parents, and students, it is one hard grind. Getting to school, or your education institution on daily basis is no easy task. Academia, examinations, economic solvency, optimism are a daily spectrum and reminder of life's ramparts.  

IF ONE LOOKS CLOSELY at many of the suicide cases to get national attention,  -authoritarianism and high pressure environment of academia seems to have played a role.

In February 2016, Saqiba, a 17 year old college student, a  first position holder of Matric Board  from district  Qila Saifullah,  Balochistan, swallowed sleeping pills when, according to her statement, her college principal refused to send her an examination form she needed.

*The principal allegedly did so as retaliation for Saqiba leading a protest against the negligence of the school authorities regarding the arrangement of teachers and classes for almost a year*.

In April, 2016,  a 27 year old Abdul Basit, a final year dental student at Hamdard University,  immolated himself  in front of his university campus when barred from appearing in the final exam for arriving late.

According to his college principal, Basit was enrolled in  four-year Bachelors of  Dental Sciences  programme  since 2007, but failed every year. 

These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg and are among the few that have come to the public attention due to extensive media coverage.

But while much has been covered on the incidents, there is little public conversation about what could have been done to prevent suicides and and what drove students Waseemullah, Saqiba and Basit to commit suicide on what have been considered minor setbacks by many.

Could student  Basit have been steered away from his plans of self-immolation if he had a counseling service on campus that he could turn to for help?

Would student Saqiba still be alive if she had a university board to appeal the alleged unfair treatment meted out by the college principal? Or had someone to discuss her quandary with?

How much pressure did these students face on campus? 

These are essential questions that still remain unanswered in the national narrative around suicide among students/youth.

Despite the evidently rising demand for  mental health services  by the educated youth of Pakistan, there hardly a few educational institutions that offer consultations and mentoring facilities to its students with psychological and emotional issues.

Though some private schools, colleges and universities partially hire educational psychologists on a need basis, the role of student counsellors is often limited to disciplinary matters and student activities in most educational institutions.

To sum this for this particular headline, anecdotal evidence suggests, that in general global sweep, there may be a growing problem among youth and there has been little public debate about it.

Many wonder if the educational system is driving  *children/youth/students* to commit suicide? If not, then-

What pushes all these many students over the edge?

The Honour and Serving of this sad and sorrowful  latest operational research on   *Life and Living* continues. Thank Ya all for reading and sharing forward and see you on the following one:

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Special Report '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless