The Exam Trap

The pressure of academic success is pushing young minds to the edge. It's time to rethink how we define failure, and what it means to truly succeed.

- Mohammad Arfat Wani

Exam season is more than just a period of study in Kashmir, as in many parts of South Asia. It becomes a storm that swallows entire families.

Homes turn quiet. Temples and mosques fill with whispered prayers. Mothers lose sleep. Fathers grow distant. And children begin to question their worth.

Whether it’s NEET, JEE, the Civil Services, or board exams, these tests carry a weight far heavier than the marksheet they produce. They don’t just judge what you know. They begin to define who you are.

But what happens when a child doesn’t clear the test? Often, the result is more than disappointment. It's heartbreak. It’s shame. It’s silence at the dinner table. In some tragic cases, it becomes something far worse.

According to the World Health Organization, academic failure is the third leading cause of suicide among young people aged 15 to 29. That’s not just a statistic. That’s hundreds of families, from Kupwara to Kanyakumari, left to mourn a life that didn’t need to end.