The March of 1989 was one of the most interesting months of my life. It was the month I appeared for my Class X Board examination. It was nothing short of a major event and to put it in the right perspective it was made out to be a defining moment of my life. Well wishers and friends in right earnest left no opportunity in letting me know how critical the exam was and how much it mattered for my future. I had stopped my sports activities and it was all studies. The stress was slowly building up as the exams approached and it reached a crescendo the night before the exam. I felt as if I was forgetting what I had studied and prepared. It was agonising and I hardly slept that night.
I was eager to reach the examination centre the next day and so I started early and reached there well before time only to find a massive crowd. I saw more parents than students with concern writ large on their faces. I was the odd one out. I was alone and my parents had not come to drop me . I didn’t think they were required to be there, but such was the perceived importance of the examination that parents felt an obligation to accompany their wards to the examination centre. It appeared as if they were doing their duty which every good parent was expected to do. I felt it was absurd. It was only building more anxiety than calming nerves. I stood alone in a corner waiting for the gates to open. I have to say I was much more relaxed than the nervous crowd around me.
The first paper was English and the first question in the paper was ‘Reference to the Context ‘. I remember very distinctly that when I wrote the first line on the answer sheet, all the stress and the pent up anxiousness melted away and simply evaporated. This must have happened with most students. The examination was like any other examination which I had given at school all those years. It was no different and therefore all the hullabaloo around the Board examination was absolutely unnecessary. The paper ended and I trudged back home not before witnessing a mighty reunion of parents and children as if the children were coming straight out of a war zone unscathed. The rituals of seeing exasperated parents ( I really felt sorry for them, thankfully my Father was much more cool ) cajoling their now fairly relaxed wards continued for the entire Board exams.
It has been 32 years since I appeared for my Boards. However nothing much has changed even now and the fact is that it has become even more difficult. The scores are piercing the roof, the competition absolutely cut throat, uncompromising expectations and severe burden on children and parents alike. To say the least the going has become undoubtedly tough. Just visiting school regularly is not enough anymore. Tuitions and coaching academies are galore and part of the new normal and even if that is not enough you have Online Coaching portals flourishing too. Notwithstanding huge expenditure, 24 hour coaching is available if someone wants it.
The children have to face the brunt of this situation. The moment they enter the Board year, life changes for them. There are severe restrictions on their leisure time, extra curricular and outdoor activities are hard heartedly curtailed, there is a harsh check on pursuance of their hobbies and eventually everything boils down to an abnormal surge in study time, tuitions, coaching etc., and not to forget of course a consistent reminder on expectations of a mountain of marks. This is just asking for too much from tender bodies and happy souls, which is greatly unfair. The parents too make a lot of sacrifices and wholeheartedly submit themselves to the so called future securing cause of their child.
The question is why can’t we treat a Board Exam like any other exam and make it much easier for the child to cope with it. Is it necessary to make him/her work so ruthlessly hard ?. We don’t need trained workaholics, but innovators, creative thinkers, sportspersons and moreover a merrier generation instead. It is about time that this painful rigmarole is replaced by a more subtle and stress free process leading to a much more positive evolution of the child.
It’s time to change..it’s time for a new ‘ cult ‘.
The writer s blog is both relevant and contemporaneus.He has impressively shown that a new methodolgy or attitude of our society and educational system should be adopted .To start with..the parents should let their children continue their hobbies or sport activities with some time restrictions…the school and the families should always encourage their children to just do their best along with a considerable ammount of good sleep and rest.. there is also dependence on coaching and tuitions which may not be very helpful and would rather be like a flourishing bussiness…last but not the least true moral values should be inculcated in all the students for whom the marks should not be the sole criteria of showing their worth and capability.Life is much beyond the boards…😊
Very true