Two Students Commit Suicide in Asaba over WAEC Exam Failure

In recent times, disturbing news of young people committing suicide has filled our news pages. For a range of different reasons – financial, heart break, depression and more - young people have taken their lives through various means.

One reason for suicide that is really sad is when young people commit suicide for academic reasons or in academic institutions.

Sometime in May this year, students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka woke up to find one of their own dead with his body hanging from a rope in an uncompleted building on the campus. The deceased, a 300 level Physics and Astronomy student was said to be the class representative of students in his department and was on scholarship from MTN, Shell and that of his community in Oraukwu Town, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State before his death.

He allegedly left a suicide note with the caption “the controversy has ended” and his death still remains a mystery.

Another suicide that has left the country shaken is that of two students who allegedly committed suicide after failing the recent West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations.

The incident which happened in Asaba, the Delta state capital occurred after the students checked their results and found out they had failed.

Leadership reports that the students committed suicide after checking their result on the internet and discovered that it was unfavourable to them.

Sources said the victims had written the exams three times without passing their Maths and English Language, which led them to allegedly resolve to commit suicide.

They also confirmed that the students had struggled to gain admission into the University in the last few years without success.

Police sources at the “B” Division Asaba told Leadership that the students were allegedly found dead in their various rooms after a search party that was conducted.

While we mourn with their families and loved ones over the sad loss of these young girls, their death again brings to the fore the often over-rated importance placed on education in our society. A lot of people still think that if one can’t study in a Higher Institution, graduate with good grades, get a good job… one cannot be successful in life. It is sad that two promising young girls would take their own lives over failure to pass an examination that would help them secure admission into the Higher Institution.

More people need to understand that there are other ways of achieving success in life apart from education. There are countless examples of people who didn’t have a formal education but still achieve success.