PARKSHALA

28 student suicides are reported every day in India.  Has the societal emphasis on marks done more harm than good to the real pursuit of knowledge? According to the National Crime Records Bureau, every hour one student commits suicide in India, with about 28 such suicides reported every day. Schools were intended to benefit the society by educating its citizens, but an education system which states that grades are the epitome of intellect has stripped education of its beauty. Last year, 19 students in Telangana committed suicide within a week after State’s intermediate results were announced. Two years back, 12 students in Madhya Pradesh ended their lives in a single day after the release of the board exam’s results. Esteemed institutions like IITs and India’s coaching hub- Kota has seen a series of student suicides every year. Historically, grades have existed primarily for institutions and not for the benefit of student learning per se. As more and more educational instituti...

Pursuing your passion lowers stress and contributes to overall happiness! According to a study conducted by Society of Behavioural Medicine it was found that pursuing your passion both lowers stress and contributes to greater overall happiness. Another study stated that working a job you hate is worse for your mental health than having no job at all.  In our country, many people are stuck in unfulfilling jobs which is one of the major reasons for depression and the ongoing lack of intrinsic motivation. Many are stuck in job that give them no sense of growth and this might be because it’s not their passion. Unfortunately, most Indians do not have the circumstances or the resources to pursue their passion. Indian education system and society don't even consider in important. Following their passion is pretty low down on the priority list of most Indians. The World Happiness Report put India on rank 144 out of the 156 countries surveyed. Only faring better than countries with ex...

Kerala: #1 in literacy rate and #2 in crime rate. What are we doing wrong? It is globally expected that literacy and crime rates have a negative correlation. Even though illiteracy is only one factor among many others that contribute to a high crime rate in a country, education undoubtedly plays an important role. However, this has not been true in the case of Kerala. It is now disputed that crime is committed even by the most educated individuals and many times illiterate people have exhibited high moral fibre. Does this indicate that the education being imparted in our schools is not focused towards producing independent-thinking, moral and ethical pupils? Even though many schools claim that they incorporate policies and practices in such a way that all students excel academically, it can be observed that those students also portray undesirable behaviours like bullying or cheating on exams. The strong and singular emphasis on getting good marks or just passing exams in schools ha...

Only 250 certified sign language interpreters in India, translating for a deaf population of 18 million. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the 13th day of December, 2006 stated principles for empowerment of persons with disabilities which included: full and effective participation and inclusion in society, equality of opportunity; accessibility; respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities. Even though India is a signatory to this convention not much has been done in this pursuit. Though, whatever has been done is highly disproportionate across people with different disabilities. Almost all developed nations have a deaf and mute  interpreter  for their broadcasts. Where were ours when PM Modi was addressing the nation on the lockdown and Covid situation? Even though the usage of braille is convincingly widespread, there are only 250 certified s...