When someone is born his parents ultimately start thinking of his future. A lot of questions arise in their mind. What is he going to be? Will he be able to face this harsh world? Will he be so talented to fulfill his dreams? At the same time, they want that their child would become a doctor.

Something similar happened when Ali was born. From the time he started going to school, he was brainwashed by his family that he has to become a doctor and for that he has to work hard. He was studying in a reputed school in his area and his studies were given a lot of attention.

Time passed and he was in 10th grade. Now he knew that it was the beginning of his race towards getting admission in a medical college.

He worked hard and did very well in his board exams. He secured the third position in whole board and was selected for the top college of his city, the college which was a dream of many students.

His parents were very happy with his performance. They admired and loved him, and reminded him of their dream. Ali was very happy with his achievement too. He was confident that one day he would make his parents proud by his achievements.

From the beginning of his college life, he was very dedicated towards his studies. He was working hard with courage and motivation. He had a very small social circle because Ali knew that if he started wasting time with friends, he would not be able to fulfil his parents’ dream.

Time passed and Ali secured good marks in his first year of college. He was doing good in second year too, and for his medical college entry test preparation, he took admission in a well-reputed institute.

He was very confident that he would crack the test and his teachers were very satisfied with his results. He was working day and night because he knew his dream would soon become a reality. But what he didn’t know was that he was part of a capitalist society where handwork doesn’t guarantee success, but money does.

The medical college entry test was spread over a period of a month. Ali’s test was on 25th, he was happy that he was given the last date, but as the test series started, the situation became worse day by day. Everyone was in shock as many students were failing their tests. Ali was getting demotivated but he prayed to Allah for his success.

It was finally the 25th arrived. On the big day, Ali woke up early as he was excited and worried too. But he also had the confidence that Allah would never let his hard work go to waste. He was ready mentally and physically for the test.

He reached the centre on time. The test was about to start in an hour. Ali looked around and there were different kinds of students, some were confident, some were nervous. There was a boy who was afraid and was crying, the invigilators were trying to console him.

The test started and Ali was happy after seeing the questions, for he found it quite easy. After about one and half hours most of the students were done with their tests and they were leaving, but Ali decided to recheck his answers.

After Ali came out, he shared his experience with his parents and was confident that he would be achieving good marks. He waiting for his result and finally his result was announced. What happened next was unbelievable for Ali and all those who knew him — he had failed to qualify!

Ali started to cry as it seemed that his world had come to an end. He was completely broken. He cried a lot that day. After two to three days, he moved on as he knew that becoming a doctor was never his destiny.

This is not Ali’s story but almost every student in this society is going through such trauma. The pressure of scoring well and getting into the few top universities is affecting the mental health of students. And what is worst is that the education system is such that it is not helping them at all.

All one can do is to have faith in Allah that He will always do what is best for everyone. What people choose for themselves cannot be better than what Allah chooses for them. All one can do is work hard and try to be a good human being.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 20th, 2021