Punjab University Faculty of Education Dean Prof Dr Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal has said that increasing rate of suicide among students is because of examination stress, parental pressure and aspirations, curriculum that is beyond them and lack of teachers’ competence and effective teaching and their harsh attitude. In an analysis Dr Iqbal said that the curriculum of various levels recently implemented in Pakistan was intellectually demanding, which most students did not comprehend. “This is coupled with parental demands for students to get high marks to seek admission in medical and engineering institutions.”
He added “Students are constantly put under pressure and they feel frustrated, perturbed and thwarted when they realise that they can not achieve high grades in public exam which are geared toward assessing rote learning by students.
The fact of the matter is that even teachers lack competence in the subject matter content and pedagogical skills to implement effective teaching and conducive environment for students to learn effectively and comprehend the curricular material.
The circumstances become more adverse and the situation becomes more frustrating when both parents as well as teachers verbally abuse and ridicule and physically abuse and punish the children.”