Decision To Bar Board Exams!
Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2009
by Drunken Mystic
http://drunkenmystic.wordpress.com
Recently, the education minister Mr. Kapil Sibal came out with the decision to bar 10th standard board exams and to have one common all India examination. I welcome this decision, but it is just placing one pebble to stop a flowing stream of problems. Is this decision enough to bring education reforms? He said, "We decided to bar the 10th standard board exams because it's creating a lot of pressure on students and due to the pressure they commit suicide". I agree with him totally, board exams in general create a lot of pressure on students. But is that the only issue to be addressed here? Or is that the only issue surrounding the problems of students. Students committing suicide or running away from home due to pressures of studies and greater performance put on them by their parents and schools is a big issue..... No doubt about it. But where is the law which curbs the schools and parents from pressurizing and traumatizing them. The schools put pressure on students by saying, "non-performers will be expelled". And parents on the other hand show their anger and violence by resorting to beating and other kinds of punishment and scare their children all the more. Where would the poor child go? The student is getting crushed at school as well as home.
We have to look into how teachers are handling students. What methods are they using? For example, a teacher in a school said to 6 year old children, "If I hear any body talking, I will take this stapler and staple their mouth". Can one imagine a teacher instilling this kind of fear in their minds? But that's how teachers are. There have been incidents of teachers raping and molesting students during or after school hours. When I was 5 years old, I have seen my teacher taking a cello-tape and taping one my classmates' mouth. If teachers resort to these measures, it's obvious the student could turn out either violent or aggressive or depressive in nature. Either of these things could happen. I am a "big" example of these treatments in school and home and I have rebelled against these things totally and I refused to study. First, we have to reform the teachers of the education system before we bring reforms in education for students. That has to be the first step. Bring a reform in the law for teachers and bring strict regulations about how they can handle students. Introduce strict codes of conduct for both teachers and students in every school. If a teacher breaches the code of conduct it should be brought to notice of the administrator and immediate action should be taken. The same applies for the student also. But disciplinary action should be non-violent and constructive. The punishment for the student should be constructive. Constructive punishment should enhance the growth of the student instead of destroying his/her confidence.
Now, the next issue before bringing a uniform examination is the various boards of examination with different standards of syllabus in the country and the quality of teachers which follows over there again. How are we going to address this issue. There is a shortage of quality teachers in the country. Even I have suffered because of it and also my fellow students. We saw a change of more than five to six math teachers when we were studying plus one and plus two. Not even one teacher was capable of making us understand the subject. The Tamil Nadu Board Syllabus was not competent enough. The math book was so poor, that there was no proper step by step explanation to any of the syllabus in the book. Nobody is aware of it. I just saw students mug up all the sums in the book and go to the exam just vomit it out by changing the numbers, because the questions were just the same as the sums in the book except the numbers were changed. If this is the quality of education, then really we are in a very sad state of affairs. This almost happens with every board in the country. Only the C.B.S.E. and I.C.S.E syllabus is competent enough, but there is a lot of pressure over there too. There is a huge difference between the Central board and State board syllabus which has to be looked into.
The next issue is the medium of instruction. There are fourteen major languages and as many schools teaching in those languages. Now, the students studying in vernacular, when they come out to face a common entrance test and enter an engineering or medical institution or any other institution where the medium of instruction is purely in English, they face a huge problem. A common language of instruction has to be introduced in all institutions. Otherwise, please enforce an examination similar to TOEFL or IELTS to compete at the national level. Please introduce English learning centres and common English exam which students have to undertake if they are from a different language medium to prove their competency in English. At least, this gives them a chance to learn the language and also capable of proving their intelligence even if they have studied and scored high marks in a school with a language medium other than English.
There is one more unfortunate thing happening in our country. Parents need an influential recommendation for the admission of a child even in a kindergarten school. People accept huge amount of money, in the name of donation to enrol children in schools, is a malpractice which needs to be stopped. The government should bring in a strict law for both private and public schools in the country which is free of corrupt practices and don't discriminate between poor and rich children. There are schools in the country which are focused on religious principles, which should also be stopped and a secular education system needs to come into practice.
The caste system in India is posing a big problem even today. The higher castes won't let their children study in the same school which educates children of the lower castes, especially the Sudras. Now, this problem has to be tackled. Now, is the education reform going to concentrate on educating people about the ill-effects of the caste system or not? Politicians have been enjoying by dividing people into caste and religious communities so they can bag votes, but they are not seeing the damage they have been doing to this country. Today, everywhere the dalits... I hate to use these words, because I believe man is man and we are all equal, are fighting for their rights whether they are educated or not. So, is the education reform going to concentrate on raising the quality of education for the poor as well? This is one major and most important issue the government should not forget.
The next issue is about students failing in an academic year. How do we handle this and how do we help them handle the situation? I have been through this situation as well. I vowed to commit suicide many times if, I failed in my exams. But I was lucky enough to get through. But there are many students who think on the same level and even resort to suicide, the reason being, humiliation, in the society. How do we remove this attitude? A student is not capable of getting good marks and he doesn't move on to a higher grade because, he was weak or he had some other problems. But why should the society humiliate him. When he/she walks out on the streets, they point a finger at him/her and say, "Hey, he/she failed in the 10th exams. He/she is a total duffer". Even the parents make the student feel as if it would be the end of life if they don't pass, and they keep repeating it over and over again, "if you fail this year that's it, if you fail or don't score enough in board exams, your future is lost. This is the last chance you have to work hard." Not just parents, neighbours, relatives and the whole society keeps enquiry every second day how their children are doing. It has become more of an attack on self-respect and dignity for them. This is a very big psychological damage for the students. It's a big question mark, and God only knows how this situation is going to change.
The last and foremost issue I would like to state is the choice. What choice do students have other than the main stream studies? I plead to the education council to introduce more options of study than just physics, chemistry, math, biology and commerce. I hope there would be schools which could train children in fine arts right from childhood if they have the talent for it Train them in sports if they have interest for it, and also in other fields if they child is showing interest and a natural skill. Education has to focus on all these issues. It's not just about the functioning of the system, it's more about understanding each and every child and giving them a choice of what they what to learn and what they want to pursue.
The late Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi had brought in a scheme to convert all schools to C.B.S.E. from State board and I.C.S.E. which was scorned at then in 1990. But today, we are facing a problem because we didn't adopt his idea. But, I am happy Mr. Sibal has taken a first step even though it's a very small step towards solving a much larger and complicated issue. I welcome the bill for right to education for children also. But before he thinks of barring the board exams I would like him to look into these other core issues also. I could address more issues, but these issues are just one among the many I have addressed here and I hope its reason enough to think for all of us, how we can bring in better education reforms and change the mentality of the society to accept children as they are and not to force them into anything.
But, it can't be put easily just to one reason that students commit suicides, so board exams should be barred. I would request Mr.Sibal and other education administrators to look into other issues surrounding the problems of students as well and see to it they have a wider choice, and not just stuff them into classrooms and dump all the books on their heads and ask them to perform better. That's not the way education is imparted. It should be done in a more positive and relaxed manner where the student doesn't feel the pressure of competition and feels secure that tomorrow when he comes out of school, he/she will have a choice and he/she can make a future of his own without anybody interfering with his/her decision and destroying his/her dreams.
Finally, I would like to end this article by stating, the change can be brought only by being the change itself. It is in the hands of every human being to bring about a positive change regardless of where you are and what you are doing. If you see that a change has to be brought when things are getting out of hand, please take a step forward, and raise your voice until it's heard and something is done to change it. I am sure some of the voices have been heard and finally the government has taken some steps forward. Education and positive education is what keeps the structure of society together and clean of all evils. Let's build a better future with a better education and let good education build a better world.
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