A welcome step in the right direction; one only hopes that the officials attending callers are well equipped to handle the stress that the students and parents face especially when the exams are around the corner.
A long term goal for the Board should be to have professionally-manned, counselling centres for students and parents all year around; this can go a long way in preventing students from succumbing to exam and other pressures.   » Continue reading “Mumbai Mirror, Thursday, 11 Feb 10: page 3 – “Board opens helpline for SSC, HSC examinees, appeals against misuse””

An alarming number of cases of educated, working men and women causing life-taking accidents due to drunk and rash driving.

Is this an aberration or a pre-cursor to a trend where dangerous and reckless lifestyles and complete lack of regard for law and order will be the gen-next trend? » Continue reading “5 Feb 10, Friday: Times of India, Mumbai, page 14, Tuesday, 2 Feb 10 – ‘young, drunk and reckless at the wheel’”

Parents of the 15-year old boy, who faked his own kidnapping to escape an education where he lacked interest, should be thankful that their child did not resort to suicide as most others in the past have.
Having said that, what this teen did was irresponsible and equally and reckless; however, I’d like to focus here on the dire desperation that would lead a 15-year old to take such a crazy measure.    » Continue reading “3 Feb 10, Wednesday: Mumbai Mirror, Wednesday, 3 Feb 10: page 6 – “Forced into subject he disliked, Thane teen stages own ‘kidnap’””

While it is easy to understand what Nooria’s father is going through given the seriousness of her actions, denial and ‘covering-up’ is certainly not going to help his errant ‘child’ in the long-term; the money and contacts may get her out of a legal tangle but will it help her get over what she has done?

The blame however, is not his alone; if law takes its course, Nooria will spend a considerable time in jail which alone won’t help in this rehabilitation process.  The reason we punish is to allow reflection and give the culprit a fair chance at reform.  Detention alone will not help achieve this goal. » Continue reading “Mumbai Mirror, page 2, Monday, 1 Feb 10 – ‘Nooria’s father comes to her ‘spirited’ defence’”

I am sure this piece of news came as a welcome break to many of you BUT the sceptic in me is not getting mollycoddled so fast.
Let me first see the Boards first do the ‘smaller’ things, like modify the absurd exam timetable for SSC and HSC students (refer blog dated 24 Jan 10).  If they really care about students’ welfare, let them first come up with an exam schedule that has adequate gaps and thus allows students to write their exams at least in a good physical state.       » Continue reading “Mumbai Mirror, page 5, Monday, 25 Jan 10 – ‘State Board scripts new chapter in reducing classroom stress’”

Was overwhelmed with a wave of frustration when I read this article and hence broke my scared rule of ‘no-working-on-Sundays’ and decided to pour all the angst into this blog.
WHEN WILL WE LEARN? WHEN?

Just when the state boards of education seemed like they were waking up from their deep deep slumber, came this news that puts them back a few hundred steps. » Continue reading “Sunday Times, page 7, 24 Jan 10 – ‘No gaps in SSC, HSC exams give students sleepless nights’”

It is indeed heartening to see that survivors of attempted suicides are coming out and talking about their struggles and in their own special way trying to reach out to others in the same boat.

What made the reading more sensitive was the fact that a ‘suicide-survivor-now-volunteer’ talks about the emotional impact that an attempted suicide leaves on the concerned person’s family whom she correctly labels as the ‘biggest victims’.
This is just so true because it is this group that is often neglected; a lot of time and attention needs to be given to the family and close friends of a suicide victim or survivor, to help them understand and deal with the emotions that they go through.
In the absence of timely counselling a lot of permanent psychological damage is done leading to lifelong feelings of guilt, anger and despair.  » Continue reading “Bombay Times, page 10, Thursday, 21 Jan 10 – ‘I was a fool to attempt suicide’”

Ronnie Screwvala’s story and success is inspiring but the article left me with some mixed feelings.
» Continue reading “Bombay Times, page 1, Wednesday, 20 Jan 10 – ‘if Ronnie can, you can’”

Pretty much made my morning; finally, a first-hand account from a parent-child team who have been through the tough and trying phase of a child contemplating suicide.  » Continue reading “Mumbai Mirror, page 1, Tuesday, 19 Jan 10 – ‘thinking of suicide? Read my story first’”

Woke up this morning to a headline that seemed to hold some promise, alas, that hope was short-lived.

How is being spooked going to prevent our young ones from attempting suicide? Parents have now moved from one extreme (that of shouting at their children to study) to another – being ‘spooked’ (reluctant to ask their kids to study).

» Continue reading “Daily News and Analysis (DNA), Saturday, 16 Jan 10: pages 1 and 2 “Parents spooked by ‘S’ word” and “Board plays emotional card on kids””