AL ELLEMA

Unless school uniforms for students are designed with neckties nearing the school initials and logo for identity purposes, the one special moment that students are able to wear a necktie, especially males, is during graduation exercises. Thereafter, the lucky graduate who finds a job, especially office work, may continue to wear necktie as part of office uniform.

But seldom are neckties used by workers in the field or in manufacturing warehouses that require perspiring activities in hot places. The necktie is only appropriate in air-conditioned workplaces workers are not exposed to physical activities that will induce perspiration and cause body discomfort at work. With limited skills for office work, the person is constrained any kind of decent job that could somehow assuage poverty and provide food for the family
For those who are not able to finish schooling due to various reasons, chief of them poverty, the chance to see, much more wear a necktie may just be a dream. With the competitive world of work nowadays, those who do not have a college degree are bound to take odd jobs that usually require manual labor. Even the skilled worker could hardly find a job that would place the worker inside an office that is more comfortable.

On a different stroke of fate, there are those who fell to a gruesome fate of misfortune who fail to finish schooling and not able to feel how it is to wear a necktie. The misfortunes had been tragic where young people resort to aborting their life due to circumstances believed to be caused by mental stress, at times desperation and hopelessness.

The incidents had been hogging the breaking news stories on mainstream media as the victims were reportedly young students who fell into hopelessness due to various reasons, some of which are school related. The pressure of schooling that entails so many requirements that are sometimes beyond the financial capacity of the student or the family, assuming there is a family supporting the needs of the student, may cause suicidal tendencies on the part of a student to end it all. There too are cases of persons without any gainful employment of any economic activity to support ones needs and the family that depends for support.

All these incidents are alarming and need responsive action from government as well as the community where such persons in depression or mentally challenged sojourn. The situation calls for immediate action from the government agencies whose mandates are in line with these problems. The need to act is now if there is serious concern to save people from desperation and hopelessness to be found later as a lifeless cold body hanging on a rope necktie.
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