Sharjah: Against the backdrop of Abhimanyu’s suicide, a passionate YouTube message urging parents not to exert academic pressure on students has gone viral.
Posted by Sharjah blogger Loy Machedo, the video titled ‘Indian student found dead on CBSE exam day’ has struck a chord with the student community in the UAE, getting over 13,000 views so far.
“I got nearly 300 mails on the first night I uploaded the video,” said Machedo, also known as the ‘Tattooed trainer’. “Most were from teenage students talking about exam pressures. Some students said the stress of studies was so much they felt suicidal, others recounted how they were beaten by parents when they didn’t score good marks. Then there were mails from students who had been forced to pursue streams they had no interest in. It was an awakening of sorts,” said Machedo, who had since set up a Facebook group dedicated to the memory of Abhimanyu.
“Called The A+Student, the group aims to support students, help them voice out their frustrations, network, seek help and take guidance,” he explained. The group has already garnered 6,000 followers and the numbers are rising,
“It’s time parents and schools stop putting academic pressures on children,” he added.
