Year after year, come the month of January, and parents start stressing about their children’s marks in their final exams. It is parents who also try and shift some of their stress onto their children. Marks have become the centrifugal point in our lives due to which we do not consider and give importance to our children’s growth and development. Children should be taught the importance of marks, but they should never be stressed or forced to get excellent marks.
“Marks in exams doesn’t always equal intelligence or brilliance.” I agree with this statement and strongly believe that a mere exam of three hours cannot decide or be the parameter to conclude the intelligence level of children. There are numerous examples which prove that marks are not important, instead what matters is the knowledge, values and skills.
When was the last time you asked a colleague or a social contact their marks? Even if you knew their marks, would you judge them accordingly? Try to recall when was the last time you used the calculus, chemistry, history or sanskrit marks in your personal or professional life. Still if you are reading this, I believe you are doing alright. It is us, the parents, who do not show our children the right direction. In the formative years, we ask them to learn things that they most likely will not need in their later years. When they grow up, we ask them to display skills and values which we never stressed upon in the first place at the right time.
Long-term effect
Students of today, essentially the citizens of tomorrow, will need a specific set of values in their lives more than anything else. Values such as vision, respect, love, integrity, honesty, commitment, gratitude and friendship. It is these values that will make all the difference in their personal and professional lives. These are pretty unlikely to be nurtured at a later age. Employers today, are looking for these values in candidates, knowledge and job training are very easy to provide if these are already in place.
What is equally important is the right combination of skills. Communication skills, critical thinking, creativity, time management, emotional intelligence, decision-making, problem-solving, leadership. Together, these skills and values are what is required in tomorrow’s global citizens. We have no idea what careers our children might take up and for how long. Knowledge gets outdated, but these skills are time-tested. In the pervasive environment, these will take them to the pinnacle of their chosen career.
Lastly, we need to ensure that the learners of today are taught to be learners for life. A few decades ago, if a student acquired some knowledge in his/her school, he/she could use it throughout his/her career. Not anymore. We should not mind if a child does not learn as per our expectations in school as long as they learn “How to keep learning all their life.” Do you remember your marks in school?
The author is the CEO and Marketing Director of Oswaal Books.
