Board Exams: A futile exercise
Come March every year, the society is obsessed with the most important exercise for millions of children in India - the Board Exams. It is often touted by many as the life changing moment for all those adolescents who take up this exercise. Six years ago, I was one in the herd goat-grunting for performing well in my board exams.
Reality stands galaxies apart from what was said about board exams when I was in school. They were called as the golden key which would unlock all the fortunate doors of life. It took two years later for me to realize that it was the dumbest thing that I have ever believed. The reason lies in the Indian education system - possibly one of the worst in the world.( I say this with conviction because I am a victim)
The system neither cares whether a student who scores well in Physics knows about its application in his daily chores, doesn't mind whether a Chemistry topper was ever conscious in his laboratory, nor does it care whether a Biology nerd knows to practice first aid. Mathematics which is considered by many as the elegant of all subjects is reduced to merely memorizing numbers. Subjects like History, Geography, Economics and most importantly physical education are out of bounds since they are considered to be unemployable especially in the state from which I come from. So many artists, musicians, sportsmen, and writers are crippled into a domain which they have no relevance to.
The flaw in the system is not only its failure to create informed citizens but also its pitfall to inculcate a student with what education is supposed to - making him a complete human. Few children take their lives because they cannot attain the minimum marks in exams. I can't imagine a worse system where a child is faked into believing that happiness, ethics, confidence and belief are relegated to the bottom and few numbers on a piece of paper are everything in life.
The society as a whole is responsible for the existence of this garbage. For saving children from future torment there needs to be the application of common sense on two important domains. On moving to alternative methods of learning and in recognizing that subjects beyond math and science are equally important including dance and drama.
Bollywood star Sharukh Khan shared a memory of his father in an interview, "My father used to tell me that if you understand all the pages of a newspaper then you can call yourself educated". Does our system 'Educate'? Are Board Exams even necessary?
Photo courtesy: (Externa Link)
Pete
Reality stands galaxies apart from what was said about board exams when I was in school. They were called as the golden key which would unlock all the fortunate doors of life. It took two years later for me to realize that it was the dumbest thing that I have ever believed. The reason lies in the Indian education system - possibly one of the worst in the world.( I say this with conviction because I am a victim)
The system neither cares whether a student who scores well in Physics knows about its application in his daily chores, doesn't mind whether a Chemistry topper was ever conscious in his laboratory, nor does it care whether a Biology nerd knows to practice first aid. Mathematics which is considered by many as the elegant of all subjects is reduced to merely memorizing numbers. Subjects like History, Geography, Economics and most importantly physical education are out of bounds since they are considered to be unemployable especially in the state from which I come from. So many artists, musicians, sportsmen, and writers are crippled into a domain which they have no relevance to.
Photo Courtesy: Pete
The society as a whole is responsible for the existence of this garbage. For saving children from future torment there needs to be the application of common sense on two important domains. On moving to alternative methods of learning and in recognizing that subjects beyond math and science are equally important including dance and drama.
Bollywood star Sharukh Khan shared a memory of his father in an interview, "My father used to tell me that if you understand all the pages of a newspaper then you can call yourself educated". Does our system 'Educate'? Are Board Exams even necessary?
Photo courtesy: (Externa Link)
Pete
Comments
Post a Comment