KOCHI: One of the prevalent lies ever perpetuated about student life is that it is supposedly ‘the best years of one’s life’. Ask any student these days about this and most of them would admit that school has become synonymous with stress.To start with Rahul, a Class IV student who bewails, “I hate going to school. There is no day without any homework. If I miss doing it, I get punished.” Gayathri, mother of a Class 2 student, also agrees that her daughter is reluctant to attend school. Every day she comes up with one or other excuse to stay back, she says. With only a couple of days left for schools to reopen, many students in the city are much stressed about the new academic year. They worry not because the late nights and late mornings would soon give away to early-to-bed times. To many students the very thought of going to school is traumatic due to the rigorous demands that are imposed on them, reveals Nancy Mathews, a primary school teacher.“School is often viewed as a strict authoritarian institution. Many children hate the experience of school but trod through because of parental pressure,” says Sr Lissa, a child psychologist of Jeeva Counselling Centre. There are umpteen things that make students’ lives stressful, including increasing amount of schoolwork, a rapidly changing curriculum, assignments deadlines and standardised tests. “I find it difficult to balance my study with many extracurricular activities that my school insists on. There is no choice other than to get involved in such activities,” says Anu, a Class IX student. Further, students are unduly concerned about their ‘appearance’ and fitting in with peer groups. “My school is very strict with our outfit. Even the slightest change in our looks other than what is prescribed won’t be tolerated,” adds Lekshmi, a private school student.Many promising lives are nipped in the bud due to undue expectations from school authorities. The stress arises in students primarily due to the pressure to top in exams. Even the physical environment can be a stress-booster. In most schools, the boards display the percentage of marks that the students are expected to obtain. “It is written in our classroom - ‘Our goal is 10A+’ - and teachers keep reminding us about it,” says Ginny Liya Raj, a Class X student.Many child psychologists feel the children do not get sufficient time to be themselves. According to Rajesh Nair, a child counsellor, students in private schools have higher levels of stress as they have long days at school and many hours of homework. They are deprived of proper sleep. A few years ago, the government put a curb on vacation classes stating that they infringed upon the students’ right to pursue their interests during holidays. However, even today this liberty is at stake.“It is sad that even the students are not spared on their holidays. We are asked to take extra classes during vacation to make the students well-prepared for board exams,” admits Alice James, a teacher. Tuition blues are not far behind. “Tuition is the only way out to cope with CBSE and ICSE syllabuses. The new syllabus is relatively difficult to comprehend,” agrees Sheela, a high school teacher.
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