The jaw dropping cut offs this year, at some of the colleges of Delhi have triggered a debate in the media, with some renowned personalities dubbing it as a “malaise of our education system, which needs a complete overhaul”.
One of the main reasons advanced behind such a thought is that, our education system is compelling students to engage in ‘rote learning’, thereby suppressing all creativity in them, as well as denying them the opportunity to excel in sports and extra curricular activities.
Before I offer my prognosis on this vexed issue, I would pose three questions to all those who have passed their judgement on the sanity behind such absurdly high cut offs in some of the colleges of Delhi University:
a) If the membership of the ‘95% plus club’ has increased from 199 in 2006 to 2097 this year, then does it not indicate that notwithstanding the various distractions today, such as the internet in general and social networking sites in particular, cable TV, other sophisticated electronic gadgets etc. the number of students who pursue their studies with a single minded dedication, and with an ‘iron willed’ resolution of not losing even a single mark, is only increasing by the year?
b) How easy it is for someone to mock at such ‘95% plus club’ by citing a few exceptions, who have made a mark for themselves in various fields, despite being a disaster in school. Has anyone even wondered, that if some students are unable to even devote themselves to their academic pursuits, when their parents are facing all other challenges and tensions in life, then can we expect these very students to be able to face the various challenges and tensions in life later on, when they have to take over from their parents?
c) And finally, if a student has the will power to stay away from the distractive powers of the internet, cable TV, other sophisticated electronic gadgets etc. would it still be difficult for him/her to do justice to academics and other extra curricular activties?
Competition is omnipresent in our lives, and whether we like it or not, is getting fiercer by the year.
Any student who is serious about a career in any field or vocation later on in life, has to inculate the mindset to be ‘better than the best’ right away, so as to develop that ‘killer instict’ right now, so essential for them to be winners later on in their lives.
What would be a better way to accomplish the same, other than by taking up a challenge to excel in academics and other extra curricular activities right away?
As a footnote, one reform which is required in our examination system is that, the questions should aim at primarily testing the analytical and comprehension powers of the students, and not merely their ability to memorise.
Cheers to the ’95% plus club’!!!
