(The Nationalist, 16 June 2000)
Some weeks ago Leeds United went to Turkey for a football match against the Turkish team, Galatasaray. Fighting broke out between supporters of the two sides and two Leeds United supporters were killed. Afterwards, David O’Leary, Leeds’ manager, made a comment which was simple, but right on target: he said that no football match was worth a human life. It was good to hear someone in his position put the matter in proportion and to cut through the hype that surrounds football, especially among the big-name teams. What he said was simply, obvious and true. A football match is never worth a human life.
At this time of year many Irish students are doing their Junior or Leaving Cert exams. David O’Leary’s practical good sense applies to those exams also: no exam is worth a human life. Let’s keep a sense of proportion about them. Exams, especially the Leaving Cert, have their importance, but that importance is relative to many other things, some of which are more important, for instance, the health and life of a young person.
There’s a lot of stress around exams these days. Some of it comes from parents who put pressure on their sons and daughters. Up to a point pressure is OK, it can be helpful, we all need a prod or a nudge from time to time but is it unfair to ask whether some parents may be trying to achieve through their children their own unfulfilled personal ambitions? It takes a good deal of sensitivity to recognize when the pressure is getting too great. Secondary school students are still young: is it fair on them that we are creating a society where the word “pressure” is becoming more and more common in our vocabulary?
I remember when I was chaplain at a university in New Zealand. Each year about six students committed suicide by jumping off the top floor of the library building. There were probably several factors involved in each of those, but it was noticeable that they mostly happened around exam time. That was hardly a coincidence. It’s something that shouldn’t happen. No exam is worth a human life.
RTE Radio 1 recently ran a series of programmes dealing with the problem of student stress, and especially exam stress. They were good programmes and helpful to parents no less than students. But why should such a programme be necessary in the first place? Life is difficult enough without piling on the stress at such an early age. Young people should be able to enjoy their youth and leave the stress till later. Relax, it’s only the Leaving.