There is a saying, ‘Failure is the key to success’. Even then, many tender-hearted students cannot accept failure. The day of the announcement of the exam results is supposed to start a new chapter in the life of any student. However, on that very day, the families of Halima Khatun Tarika of Chapainawabganj, Kareena Pal of Rajshahi and Tania Khatun of Bheramara of Kushtia brought the message of eternal darkness. After the announcement of the SSC and equivalent exam results, where the lights of celebration were shining in millions of homes across the country, three fresh lives were extinguished in an instant. In addition, there have been reports of students failing the exams in several other places across the country and dropping out.
In Bagmara, Rajshahi, Kareena chose the path of suicide in extreme sadness after failing in two subjects in the science department. In Shibganj, Chapainawabganj, Halima, who was successful in other subjects but failed only in English, drank poison, unable to bear the intense pain of failing. And in Bheramara, Kushtia, Tania Khatun chose the path of suicide in the same despair. These three premature departures in unison make us face a cruel social reality that is the result of an exam bigger than life? It can never be. Rather, studying or so much planning is to build a beautiful life. Therefore, failing once does not mean losing or the end; rather, one has to try again and again through hard perseverance. If one does not succeed once, one cannot be disappointed, one has to concentrate on studies with strong morale.
Tania is the daughter of Aktarul and Kabita Khatun, expatriates from Kuchiamora village. She was a 2026 SSC student of Bahadurpur Secondary Girls’ School. She had failed the exam last year as well.
According to local and police sources, Tania failed the SSC exam results for this year when they were released on Monday. Later, around 10 pm, she committed suicide by hanging herself.
In our social and educational system, the SSC exam is not only seen as an institutional assessment; sometimes it is also made the ultimate measure of a child’s ability, dignity and social respect. From the morning of the results announcement, a festival of competition begins around them, such as ‘Did you get a GPA-5?’, ‘So-and-so’s child got this much, why did you get less?’. The tender and sensitive minds of adolescents cannot tolerate this comparative discussion and social shame. To them, temporary academic backwardness begins to seem like the ultimate failure of life. As a result, they often lose their basic will to live, crushed by the invisible pressure of family and social expectations. However, it is more important to have a good mentality and be a humane person than good results.
Doing poorly or failing a public examination is not the end of the road. There are multiple legitimate avenues open to the education system, such as quality improvement exams, re-examination, or re-participation. History testifies that many people who have stalled at a certain stage of formal education have later established themselves at the top of society through merit and service. But to correct that mistake and turn around, sustaining life is the first and foremost condition.
Failing an exam or getting bad results is not a crime, but rather it is the most critical moment for a child. At such times, the family should be the main refuge, not scolding, discipline, or comparing the child with the neighbor’s child. Before the difficult question, ‘How much did you get?’, a simple sentence should come from the mouth of the guardian – ‘We are by your side. Don’t be disappointed with what happened, prepare yourself to do better in the future.’
When a child expresses extreme frustration or indicates that he is about to end his life, it cannot be taken lightly. He must be emotionally trusted without being left alone for a moment and, if necessary, he must seek the help of a professional mental health specialist. Similarly, educational institutions also have a social responsibility. It is important to move away from the mentality of celebrating only the successful on results day and provide counseling and guidance to those who did not get the desired results and an easier path forward.
The deaths of Kareena, Halima and Tania are not just a story of personal grief for three families; they are a powerful reminder and warning for the entire society. Our children should not only be taught to win, but also to dust themselves off after failure and rise again. Because exam results can be revised, and even a year can be restored; but a precious life lost can never be brought back.
