Should Class X Exams Become Optional?
Jane Austin said, "Education is the preparation for life", but today it has become a preparation of endless exams. In this modern era of globalization, a child from his UKG days has to undergo infinite examination modules which eventually make him a book worm and a lot of tension starts pouring over his tender shoulders.
In the earlier days, education is attained by staying in Ashrams and Gurukuls where more emphasis is on practical learning and education for the livelihood. As a gradual change in civilization the Gurukuls have undergone drastic change and schools have taken their place. Vidyamandirs, Navodeys and KVs have come up which emphasis more on book knowledge. After that, the concept of Convent and Public schools started and in these schools, the child has to keep abreast with all the latest happenings and curriculum. In the beginning it all went fine but as the days passed, these boards become a very huge commercial market and a trauma for the child. The actual essence of education has sidelined and bookish knowledge gets the importance. A child has to mug up the entire junk of text, pass the exam and tends to forget everything the very next day. The motto of 'Learn with Fun' has faded away.
Parents put so much pressure on their children to score high; it becomes a burden on child's physical and mental health. Truck loads of sample papers, ten years, mock tests, private publication books etc. adds salt to the wound. If a child appeared for class X board exam to get admission in XI standard in the same school, it holds no importance at all. The schools also plays equal victim in the process. Many public schools divide the class in sections like A1, A2, and B etc. where they keep on rotating the child based on his periodic performance. To be in the elite section continuously takes the child into depression and pupils of lower sections feel left out. As soon as the child enters class VIII, he started getting hiccups about his X boards. Thus if a child is weak in a subject, he develops a fear of failing in that subject and remains weak throughout. These board examinations have become a formal function rather than testing of knowledge. Many children who fail in Class X examination, tends to withdraw themselves from the school, getting uneducated thereafter. Hence a board exam at class X level holds no significant significance.
It is seen across years that a large number of students commit suicide if they fail in the exam or just for scoring less. The counseling lines provided by CBSE gets hundreds of calls prior and after the results complaining about stress. A young child of 15-16 years gets so much of stress at so early age. How will he be able to cope up with the tensions which will come at later stages of life? This is one of the reasons why we have not been able to produce world class educationalists and Nobel Prize winners from our land since ages.
The making of class X exams optional is the call of the hour. In order to make our youth stress free we have to eradicate this entire system of examination at early stages of education, rather we should bring in more agile methods where we can test the learning of a child by making him implement the education practically. More of the case studies and 'Do-Yourself' exercises have to be incorporated in the syllabus.
This will make the child focus on the subjects of choice and frame his future from beginning. This will bring in more of the extra curriculum activities which get sidelined by virtue of the exam fear. Every child is special and has some extra capabilities. The schools should bring out this and refine him which will make his future worth. The entire race of science\commerce should be minimized and other areas of interest should also be brought up. The newly incorporated grading system is good as it will decrease the rat race for number system and the child will be assessed for the entire year's behavior rather than for a particular exam. This will bring in more discipline in the children's life, his code of conduct in the class, the punctuality, uniform etc. will also play an important part in the grading and an overall growth will be seen. The schools will have to be more responsible now.
Finally, it is a very good decision taken by the HRD ministry which was on the lines from many years. It will bring smiles to the faces of students and teachers.
-Jagdeep S More
