On 13 July the result of CBSE Class-XII was announced, which brought relief to students in these trying times of the Pandemic where they have been facing a crisis in their studies from late results to late admissions and even cancellation of some exams.
The very next day, while reading the newspaper I came across those happy faces who were dull spending their time at home after the start of this ensuing crisis. Out of 12 lakh of students who appeared for the examination, overall 88.78% of Children cleared the exam. I wondered if the result this time seems to be good, so I started reading further about statistical information. To my utter surprise, I came across some shocking statistics. A total of 38,686 students have scored more than 95% and above marks in aggregate of all subjects, up by 118.6% from the previous year in 2019. As many as 1,57,934 students have scored more than 90% and above, 67.48% higher than the previous year's tally. Adding jewel in the crown, I came across success stories of some of the Students scoring perfect 100% in the CBSE class 12 Board exams.
From the very first instance, the result seems to be very promising, as if we have produced so many young and bright minds who had worked hard to perform their best in their exams. But after analysing the situation some of the questions persist in our society and need to be asked to each and every one of us.
- Are we helping our younger generation by providing them with grace marks?
- Is our education system that weak, to certify a student with a perfect 100% marks?
- What about the life ahead of these young and bright minds. Will they be placed among the top echelons in the future?
Educational reforms have been long pending in our country. Education which we value so much in our lives, the same education which provides us with our livelihood, which makes us able to read, write, and speak. When our education system is compared with foreign countries, our country ranks 35 in Education for future Index, which denotes the strides in imparting skills to youth. On top of this, In India, 71% of adults do not have an upper secondary education. Even among younger adults, 70% of women have not attained upper secondary education, compared to 58% of men. The gender gap, the caste gap, the economic divide, and the digital divide, all are exacerbating the problems of the Indian Education system.
" India, 71% of adults do not have an upper secondary education. Even among younger adults, 70% of women have not attained upper secondary education, compared to 58% of men. "
Compared to advanced economies, overall rates of unemployment in developing countries are generally lower than observed in developed economies because most individuals cannot support themselves and their families through social protection schemes. However, at the same time, unemployment tends to be higher among youth. In this regard, the open unemployment rate in India, particularly in the age brackets 15-19 and 20-24, is extremely high among both males and females. While in another study of 2018, it was found out that 58% of Engineering graduates remain in awry when it comes to campus placement.
Certainly, one thing is clear from above statistics, despite all our gains after the passing of Right to Education Act in 2009, due to which our enrollment ratio and infrastructure in schools have improved a lot, our education system is anything but a model to rely upon, which shows something is wrong with our perception of education and we are not in a position to even acknowledge it.
To answer the first question, providing grace marks to satisfy and delude our students about their real marks is not a noble act. The very foundation which we are providing to our younger generation is built on a deceiving path. The results of which are: As many as 9,474 students committed suicide in 2016, which implies that almost 26 students died every day, or to say more than one student die every hour.
"As many as 9,474 students committed suicide in 2016, which implies that almost 26 students died every day, or to say more than one student die every hour."
To answer the second question, education in itself is a long and continuous process. I might be knowing about a topic to a certain extent, will that make me 100% efficient, the answer is obvious: No. Even Science denies 100% working capacity, how can a student who has so much to learn throughout his life ahead, be certified 100% in his pursuit of Education. Getting 100% in subjective papers has resulted in the 'dumbing down' of meaningful education.
To answer the third question, we must realize that education is much more than successfully scoring good marks in an exam. The latest research shows that soft skills like good communication, solid problem-solving skills, ability to work in a team, a proactive attitude and a professional work ethic, are some of a few qualities needed to have a successful career ahead, which means there is no correlation between scoring high in school and getting a good job.
The current situation has made me more convinced that we are not even in the game to harness our so revered Demographic dividend. What can we expect from a theoretical way of teaching when practical tasks are excluded from our very environment.
We have so many examples of countries who transformed due to Change in their Education system be it Japan, South Korea or Singapore, who climbed onto the ladder to become developed and prosperous countries.
The way ahead
We have so many things to look upon but our blind eyes are not even acknowledging that we need a change. From providing a practical learning experience to decreasing the burden of exams on students, from providing skill-based learning to providing good infrastructure to students, all are in our forefront. Students need to be taught the importance of Why in each and every task they commit. The need is to provide them into the hands of better teachers, who would be well versed in their respective subjects, and who can understand the X-factor in each and every student. Side-by-side, employing digital technology to provide education is the need of the day so that each and everyone can learn at their own pace.
Above all, we need a will to change our mindset about education, about its need and its importance. We need to develop an environment where everyone reads, this will provide us with two things:- (1) Reading ability of students will improve, (2) things like values, spirituality and love will develop among Children which they have not been getting from their textbooks. And above all, we need a political will to change all of these, to provide the dynamic and energetic youth with a sense of direction and employment opportunities.
Conclusion
Every Change starts with a small step, and this could be that step which has the potential to change the growth trajectory of Indian development. Future of India will depend on what step we will take today, either we can change the very course of our education system that we are enrolled in, to harness our Demographic Dividend, or we can sit, watch and dream of making India what she deserves.
Which course will we choose?
Comments
Post a Comment