It’s that time of the year when youngsters are preparing hard for examinations. And as in any year, the pressure is mounting.
Our education system relies almost entirely on marks. A few reforms here and some fancy terms there have probably given it a kinder and more student-friendly facade. But the compelling dependence on marks continues unabated. Hence, a vulnerable adolescent unwittingly becomes a subject of the most intense and microscopic critique purely on the basis of the grades. Overzealous relatives, friends, the extended family and even mere acquaintances pose direct queries about a child’s exam score. And god forbid, if it does not match popular expectation, they embark on a long, unsolicited discourse and draw parallels with other students, leaving the already demoralised child in a depressed state.
At the other end, we have parents of high-scoring students flaunting their wards’ marks card, trophy-like, on social media and gloating over their success as some kind of a personal achievement or well-executed project. I know of children who deactivate their social media accounts and switch off their phones on the eve of results.
Under the present education system, children get way better marks than those who took their exams seven or eight years ago. There is a mad scramble for admission to elite colleges and coveted disciplines.
The cut-off percentage stands at an incomprehensible 98 or 99 and in some cases, even 100. Not everyone is geared to handle this kind of sustained and ruthless competition. A few buckle under societal and parental pressure and choose the option of unfair means or worse still, self-harm. A couple of recent Bollywood films have tried to showcase this sad reality and sensitise the public to this mounting challenge. But the circus of marks continues, unrelenting and unforgiving as ever.
Broader evaluation
As a society, it is imperative that we move away from mark-centric accomplishments and evaluate a child for overall personality, skill set and emotional quotient. This is particularly true of the current academic session when education has gone almost entirely online. Not every student has had the means to access it easily. In these difficult times, our young hopefuls are already caught in a vortex of uncertainty and apprehension. Let us accept and embrace them for all the qualities they possess instead of slotting them into draconian stereotypes of high and low performers or “achievers” and “losers”. Let us be kind and realistic, let us help them blaze a trail through effort, emotion and experience.
urmichakravorty@gmail.com
