We students are extremely sorry for the death of Osmania University’s Murali, who took the extreme step of suicide. This incident is not the first of its kind. Every other day we get to hear about one such case of a student giving up on life which the authorities routinely surmise as his/her inability to cope with a tough curriculum. There must be a deeper reason, which demands a serious look at youth policies.
The most important factor, I think, because of which students decide to quit and even sometimes commit suicide, is unemployment. Some students choose a course on the basis of its viability in securing a well-paying job in a private company, ignoring their natural choices and abilities. But after securing admission, they feel uninterested in their subjects. The cost of admission and the subsequent fee burden leave them little option to change gear. Caught in a trap, they resort to extreme steps. Till we value our latent skills and consider them worthy of crafting a future, no amount of vocational training and counselling can work.