Due to the results of the General Secondary Education exams and their failure in some subjects, and the inability of some to achieve the required grades for admission to universities, six Egyptian male and female students have taken their own lives.
In a heart-wrenching incident, a young girl was found dead in her bedroom after taking her own life by hanging. The devastating act came shortly after she received disappointing results in her secondary exams. It is reported that she was overwhelmed with fear and apprehension about her family’s reaction to her failure. The tragic incident highlights the immense pressure and emotional toll that academic expectations can have on young students in Egypt.
In Sohag Governorate, in the south of the country, a female student tragically lost her life after consuming a poisonous substance, just moments after the release of the exam results due to her failure in some subjects.
In Toukh city, Qalyubia Governorate, two female students took their lives by ingesting toxic seeds after failing their exams. Additionally, in Kafr Shukr, another city in the same governorate, a female student consumed a pesticide after obtaining a total score that did not qualify her for the college she aspired to join.
Similarly, in Belbeis city, a girl took her own life following her failure in the secondary exam, and all attempts to save her life were unsuccessful. This alarming trend sheds light on the immense pressure and psychological burden that the education system places on students in Egypt.
Before that, the city of Toukh in Qalyubia Governorate, northern Egypt, witnessed a heartbreaking incident where a student, the first female victim, took her own life by ingesting a toxic substance after the announcement of her failure in the General Secondary Education exams.
It is worth mentioning that the “toxic grain pill” is a pill used by farmers in Egypt to preserve crops and grains from decay, insects, and pests during storage.
The danger of this pill lies in its content of “phosphine gas,” a highly toxic gas for which there is no known antidote. It can cause death in humans within just one hour.
Two years ago, the Agriculture and Irrigation Committee of the Egyptian Parliament issued important recommendations to prevent the use of this pill for suicide.
The committee called for regulating the use of the toxic grain pill, tightening control over pesticide shops, and imposing penalties on violators. Additionally, the Ministry of Endowments was urged to alert people about the dangers of using these pills through mosque pulpits and to educate young people about the hazards of their usage.
