Hey Mr. Principal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s that time of the year again! Board examinations! Every student is burning the midnight oil, cramming in facts that they never learnt before, and the adrenalin is pumping really high. They are told that this phase can make or break their lives.

Generally the 12^th standard board examination is the real test of fire as the marks acquired in the exam determines one’s admission into the course of his/her dreams. The 10^th standard examination which was introduced to give the students a feel of a public exam has become more important these days. Schools set the marks acquired in the 10^th standard examinations as a bench mark for giving their students the science/commerce / humanities streams. If you don’t get the required marks you wouldn’t be given the stream of your choice. This leaves many students in a dilemma. They could stay in the same school and pursue a course which they don’t like or change schools to follow their dreams.

The school is considered a second home and the teachers our second mothers. It is here that each individual learns his first lessons in life and makes impressions that last forever. It is here we make our first friends in life. Every student shares a bond with his/her school.  It is unfair when schools refuse to give you the course of your choice only because you got a few marks lesser than what is required.  It is even more unfair, when schools admit new students and ask those who have been with the school since Kindergarten to leave. The 2 digit number called “marks” is all that matters to them.

They don’t care about the trauma a 15 yr old student undergoes. The pain of parting from friends and teachers who have been with you during the formative years is difficult to overcome, and it is even worse when you are made to feel like a loser for not having secured the required marks. The system fails to provide you with enough information about the various streams. Students must be provided with more information about the various options available to them and asked to make their choices. It is often considered shameful to pursue any course without a science and mathematics base. All of us have this wrong notion that only those with weak fundamentals would take up the humanities or pure science groups. In the race for the IIT’s and NIT’s we fail to explore new avenues .We fail to understand that there is no Nobel prize for engineering or Business. Schools fail to understand that the marks obtained in the board examinations never judge a student’s aptitude or interest in a particular subject.  They only judge the student’s ability to cram in facts.

It is sad to see that our schools are making their students mere mark churning machines. A system of testing that can judge both the student’s interest and aptitude must be adopted by schools. This would bring out the best talent in each student. The rat race for the IIT’s and NIT’s has made creativity and innovation take a back seat. Schools should focus on making their students well rounded persons with a sense of social responsibility and not mere mark-churners.