Gone are the days when students wrote down their “95% in board exam!” targets on cardboards and stuck it on walls. Today, 100% on an examination is not only achievable but a reality.
As Maharashtra State Board Examination becomes highly scoring and students vie for seats in the prestigious colleges of the city, one is compelled to take a pause and review the entire admission scenario. The changes brought about in the education system and the admission process are debatable. After the teething problems of the online admission procedure it has proven to be a relief from the “standing in the long queues in monsoon” routine that all the colleges witnessed in the months of June-July.The best five policy and the 25 marks for students who have excelled in sports are certainly very encouraging steps. But with the scores shooting the roof we aren’t far away from having colleges close their admissions at 100% like Lady Sriram College of Commerce, Delhi.
So what is it that makes a perfect score of 100% attainable? The students have definitely realized the need to put in a lot of hard work in order to make it to the coveted colleges. As also, new policies and liberal marking patterns have enabled students to score higher marks on the examination. These measures were implemented primarily to encourage education, curb the drop out rate, improve the literacy rate and do away with the need to have rote method of learning. The question is – are the above objectives being fulfilled? Or is it that as scoring becomes easier, the number of cent percent scorers goes higher, thus making board examination a number game and defeating its purpose of knowledge assimilation? There is not only pressure on the students but also on their families. After all, a future is at stake. Collectively, the future of the nation is at stake. Are we planning to churn out rote machines or are we targeting to achieve a knowledgeable, well-equipped and well-trained young population.
The answer to the above questions also partially holds an answer to the “brain-drain” problem that India faces. Strife for excellence should be retained. Along with it, the fact that there is always scope for improvement and betterment should not be neglected. Focusing on an overall development, enhancing cognitive skills along with academic skills should be the goal. And to reach this goal, from where I look at it, we have a long way to go.
-Priyanka Mehta.
