Who is Responsible

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When I was little, I wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Then I grew up, realized the hard-work required, not to mention the blood and gore that comes with the profession, and ended up in an entirely different field.

A 17-year old girl committed suicide recently. The girl had dreams of being a doctor but she couldn't achieve her dreams because she couldn't clear the required cutoff in the medical entrance exam. The public is enraged with this. Everyone is enraged with the inability of the government to provide a means to help her achieve her dreams.


suicide by Juan Pablo Bravo from the Noun Projec

A little Backstory

  • The girl was from a backward community from rural area.
  • She scored 98% in her 12 standard exams but got 12% in the entrance exam.
  • The Central government introduced the entrance exam as the sole means of admissions to medical colleges.
  • The State did not consider the entrance exam criteria until last year but this year it was made mandatory.
  • The entrance exam consists of a syllabus that differs from the State board and hence she wasn't able to do well in the entrance exam.

What went wrong?

The girl was a brilliant student and wanted to be a doctor. Right from the time we are young, we are told scores mean everything. But scores don't necessarily translate to knowledge. Call me conceited/entitled/insensitive but if someone is smart, they will score irrespective of the curriculum. Maybe we have to put in some more effort but it is still doable.

The suicide part is another extreme. So she couldn't be a doctor. She could have prepared for another year and taken up the entrance exam again. She could still be a doctor. Or like several people, you can find something else to do. Taking one's life is never an answer. We put unnecessary pressure on our kids. They feel there is no way out and if their dream can't be fulfilled they have nothing to look forward to in life.

We can change that. We can show our kids there are far more things in life, like enjoying the little things. Life is a collection of these little things and every moment has to be enjoyed.

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