Once again, the anxious month of May has arrived when millions of students are eagerly waiting for their board exam results. This period in the life of a student is characterized by high level of mental stress giving rise to various physical ailments in some cases. The apprehension is so intense that every year we come across several cases of students committing suicide. And its not only the very weak ones who consider suicide as the only available option but even the good students, taken aback by all the media hype, parental and peer pressure, become emotionally unstable. Why are we subjecting the future of our nation to such stress at such a tender age when learning should be an enjoyable experience instead of a crucial life-death situation?
Viewing the scene broadly, we find that it is not about the actual knowledge attained; rather it is the numerical worth of all that you have learnt in the past one year that is causing such trouble. The very system in which your mind's potential is measured on a scale of a mere 1 to 100 is to be blamed for the students' pathetic condition. The report card that we obtain at the end of the two most crucial years of our life, that is, after class 10 and 12; determine the future course of our lives, or so it has become. Hence it is quite natural to worry about what it might contain.
Assessing children on the basis of their I.Q. would be a better way to label them as 'intelligent' and hence deserve position in good educational institutions instead of a memory based assessment that we have been following for decades.
The system rewards just the merit in scoring marks and nothing much else. This is another cause for trouble. Aspects such as personality development, creative potential, moral quotient and imaginative thinking get dimmed under the supreme glare of marks secured. These qualities would, in any case, not be very instrumental in earning a student a position in any reputed Indian institution so why simply worry about it? The admission process of even the very best of institutions that India has to offer involves a couple of written entrance examinations. Anyone who clears the exams gets a seat, irrespective of his or her past records. Hence we find that the creativity and ingenuity of students are left unaccounted for.
A creative person has the potential to contribute more to the society therefore such a person must get credit for his abilities and a chance to grow. Personality and skills must also be assessed in awarding scholarships and admission instead of the mere knowledge of facts.
Viewing the scene broadly, we find that it is not about the actual knowledge attained; rather it is the numerical worth of all that you have learnt in the past one year that is causing such trouble. The very system in which your mind's potential is measured on a scale of a mere 1 to 100 is to be blamed for the students' pathetic condition. The report card that we obtain at the end of the two most crucial years of our life, that is, after class 10 and 12; determine the future course of our lives, or so it has become. Hence it is quite natural to worry about what it might contain.
Assessing children on the basis of their I.Q. would be a better way to label them as 'intelligent' and hence deserve position in good educational institutions instead of a memory based assessment that we have been following for decades.
The system rewards just the merit in scoring marks and nothing much else. This is another cause for trouble. Aspects such as personality development, creative potential, moral quotient and imaginative thinking get dimmed under the supreme glare of marks secured. These qualities would, in any case, not be very instrumental in earning a student a position in any reputed Indian institution so why simply worry about it? The admission process of even the very best of institutions that India has to offer involves a couple of written entrance examinations. Anyone who clears the exams gets a seat, irrespective of his or her past records. Hence we find that the creativity and ingenuity of students are left unaccounted for.
A creative person has the potential to contribute more to the society therefore such a person must get credit for his abilities and a chance to grow. Personality and skills must also be assessed in awarding scholarships and admission instead of the mere knowledge of facts.
Oxygen... a movement view
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