close
close

Don’t blame school exams for suicide cases

Don’t blame school exams for suicide cases

YOUR SPEAKING | “Students must be educated and guided in the right way.”

Suicidal Tendency: UPSR, PT3 abolished to reduce students’ academic stress

Drama: Abolishing exams to address mental health and suicide issues oversimplifies the problem.

Mental health challenges arise from a variety of factors, such as financial difficulties, relationship conflict, family problems, and experiences of violence or harassment.

The 2022 National Health and Morbidity Survey revealed disturbing trends: 26.9% of teenagers experienced depression, up from 18.3% in 2017.

Suicidal thoughts increased from 10% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2022, and suicide attempts increased from 6.9% to 9.5%.

Exams are essential to assess educational standards – without them, students risk entering secondary school without basic reading, writing and numeracy skills.

One sec exams may cause anxiety for some, they remain a point of reference.

That said, a person’s worth is not defined by grades; we need better ways to assess learning and skills.

Oh my God: Stress is inevitable. Giving up on exams is not the solution. Students should be educated and guided in the right way.

Don’t confuse them by saying that God will be angry if you fail.

Instead, they should be encouraged to challenge themselves and compete in an ever-changing environment.

Teachers must be properly trained to deal with the difficult situations that students face.

Does the Minister of Education claim that parents, teachers and students have not experienced any form of stress over the last 50 years?

Scrapping exams to avoid suicide is like giving up motor vehicles, which kill or maim so many people every day.

The country needs a far-sighted, intelligent and competent education minister.

Falcon: Classic statement by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek. The day after Minister of Higher Education Zambry Abd Kadir he boasted about meritocracy?

What is the truth? Never mind. So now we know that some Malaysians cannot bear the stress or they will commit suicide?

Now we understand why there is so much preferential treatment to insulate them from the competitive world – the real world!

Have you shared this with yours? new friends from Afghanistan? NO?

Fadhlina, you are wrong and misleading! No wonder our education system continues to deteriorate.

By the way, did you know that students do exceptionally well in achieving distinctions in Chinese schools? And they’re not even Chinese!

Perhaps the Minister of Education should go back to school.

PurpleQuokka1493: How many suicides have been reported as being caused by the stress of school exams?

Stress in schools is a phenomenon occurring all over the world. Students and parents should learn to cope.

Situations in everyday life are also stressful. Learn to deal with stress. This will prepare you for professional life.

Now our students are so stress-free that they become confused and anxious when faced with stressful situations.

They did not learn to cope and therefore did not achieve success in their professional lives.

This is probably why many graduates choose a job that does not require any skills or knowledge.

Our education policy has not prepared our students for professional life.

Worse still, every government is doubling down on policies that are crippling the lives of our students.

Mistakes are staring us in the face, but the government closes its eyes.

MarioT: Life doesn’t come without stress. Missing two grading exams due to stress is a poor excuse for lethargy.

Those of us who passed both exams during our school days had no problems at all.

Our education system. Assessment exams are essential to enable students to choose courses that will be best suited to them.

I would like to refer to Saudi Arabia’s introduction of Mandarin into the education system. This is a very wise move to prepare the student well to face the job market as trade with China increases.

CH Y: Students will not become suicidal because of the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah and Third Year Assessment Exams which, if implemented, will teach them how to prepare for the crucial Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) where streaming and paths to various options are determined .

Most students would be stressed and suicidal after going 10 years without exams and then SPM to determine their educational path in Year 11.

Neutral point: Good job lah Fadhlina.

Soon, 99 percent of Gen Z will be graduates and they will be demanding higher-paying jobs from the government.

Finally, we need to increase our foreign workforce to 10 million to fill the jobs that our young people are not willing to take because they are all graduates.

Instead, they want to stay in the office.

Grab deliveries will soon be made by foreign workers. Soon we will be like the Philippines, where university graduates work as domestic helpers.

All the best: Are all our schools equipped and all our teachers trained to teach based on inquiry, research, experience, contextual research and assessment?

P. Ramlee: Check in Singapore to see if they are similarly suicidal as they take the Primary School Leaving Examination and other very difficult exams. These days our ministers seem very innovative in coming up with excuses.

RedRaven6070: There is no need to endure exams. Just reduce the passing grade to 15 percent for Degree. The feel-good factor will greatly reduce stress.

GoldenToucan7491: Why not throw out the SPM too? This will completely eliminate stress among your students.


Above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Last year, Malaysians posted over 100,000 comments. Join Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Sign up now.

These comments have been prepared to reflect the views Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini has no intention of presenting these views as fact.