Dr Sailaja Menon, a psychologist at Dubai Community Health Centre, lists out a few suggestions on how best to combat failure and better still, to avoid it
Show the failed students that there is a way out. But most importantly, show them what went wrong
Focus on a child’s strengths rather than the weaknesses
For starters, students need to take up a recreational activity and be around positive people
Parents need to step up by playing the role of active listeners and provide moral support
Avoid the blame game. Otherwise it tends to cultivate poor self-esteem, loss of self confidence and a sense of being a misfit for the child
Parents need to make their child realise that he/she has options and that there is no such thing as losing out on a year
It is critical to have a serene environment at home, one that generates positivity and encouragement for the child
Parents should avoid putting undue pressure. If the child dreads going home, he/she might avoid studying as well
The expectations have to be based on the child’s abilities. Different students have different learning abilities
For students who have failed, root-level counselling is very important. A consistent form of mentoring and constructive advice is required in all schools and to some extent at home
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